


Broken

by CassiCohen



Series: Broken [1]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 96,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24684118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassiCohen/pseuds/CassiCohen
Summary: Dr. Lilian Russell met Malcolm Bright in the fall of 1998 at Trinity School shortly before his father's arrest. Now, twenty years later, Lily may be the only one able to save Malcolm from himself as she joins him working with the NYPD and discovering his past.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Broken [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784671
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

"Why are you so angry, Damian?" I asked the man sitting in front of me with my arms crossed over my chest.  
"What makes you think I'm angry, Dr. Russell?" He countered.  
"You beat six women to death with your bare hands. I'd say that's a sign of pent up rage. I've seen pictures of your mom. She looks a lot like your victims. So, what did she do, Damien?" I asked sitting forward resting my forearms on the table between us.  
His dark eyes that had been locked on mine for the entirety of the interrogation now dropped to look at his hands cuffed to the table.  
"Come on, Damien. You can tell me." I whispered gently.  
"She would make me watch her when she slept with men. At one point one of the men wanted me to join them and she made me. I hated her. I hated her! By the time I was strong enough to stand up to her she was already dead so yeah. I killed all those bitches. Each one a mirror of my mother and each one capable of hurting their children the same way she hurt me. I saved them."  
"Is that really what you believe?" I asked.  
"No, but it sounded good didn't it?" He laughed.  
"I hated her and everything she was and I killed them because they reminded me of her. I killed them because just the sight of them set me off. I don't regret it and I'm not remorseful. And you thought you could appeal to my remorse." He shook his head.  
"No. I didn't. I knew that if I made it seem like I thought you could be remorseful that you'd have to shove it in my face that you aren't. Now, you've made a video taped confession and proved my theory. Thank you for that. Now, I can go home." I laughed softly.  
"That's entrapment!" He yelled.  
"Actually it's not. It's reverse psychology. I'm sure the DA would love to talk to you now. I'll be going."  
I stood up and walked out of the interrogation room.  
"Great job, Lily. As usual." Detective Maryann Kane said slapping me on the back.  
"Thank you, Maryann." I chuckled as my phone rang.   
"Ash? Is everything okay?" I asked answering the phone walking out of the precinct.  
"It's Malcolm..." She said.  
"What about him?" I stopped walking.  
"I just processed his termination paperwork."  
"Termination? Why?" I asked resuming my walk towards my rental car.  
"Apparently, he punched a sheriff."  
"If he hit someone there's a reason." I sighed.  
"The board told him he has psychopathic tendencies not unlike his father."  
"That's low. Even for them."  
"Apparently, he told them that if they're going to call someone crazy they should ask for their gun first before slamming the gun and his badge on the table and walking out."  
"He's not actually wrong about that." I sighed again.  
"He bought a plane ticket to New York this afternoon." She told me ignoring my statement.  
"That make sense. That's where his mom and sister are." I sighed.  
"It's also where you are."  
"Well, not currently. Right now I'm in Cincinnati."  
"What are you doing in Cincinnati?" She asked.  
"I've been working independently as a forensic psychiatrist as opposed to working with an FBI team. I'm flying back tomorrow."  
"Will you reach out to him?" She asked.  
"I don't know. Not right away anyway." I shrugged opening the car door.  
"I know you two are kind of estranged but I wanted to make sure you knew what happened. I know you still care about him."  
"Yeah, I do." I climbed into the car.  
"You were friends with him for more than ten years before you even started dating. It's only natural that you still care for him."  
"Yeah. Hey, I've got to go. I have to get my stuff together and finish the paperwork for the Cincinnati PD before I go to bed. I'll call you when I land tomorrow." I said feigning a smile.  
"Sure, Lily. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She sighed.  
I hung up the phone and sighed heavily.  
I looked down at the platinum diamond and blue topaz ring I wore on my right hand. It was the ring Malcolm Bright gave me for our second anniversary in January of 2012.  
I'd continued to wear it even after he left in 2015. Part of me was still with him. Maybe it was time the rest of me caught up?


	2. Malcolm

"Gil? Is everything okay?" I answered the phone on the front lawn of my parents home.  
"You are back in town." He sighed gratefully.  
"You've determined that how?" I asked.  
"You have that unmistakable, 'I'm at my parents and want to die' tone."  
"That's true. I am at my parents and I do want to die." I sighed.  
"I have a better idea. I pulled Malcolm into this case but I'm not sure it was a good idea anymore. I think it's really affecting him." He explained.  
"Malcolm is a professional. Not much affects him." I sighed.  
"This guy's mimicking The Surgeon."  
My breath caught in my throat.  
"You knew before you pulled him in?" I asked.  
"I suspected but no, I didn't know."  
"I've studied the case. I could have told you anything you needed to know. He's too close to that."  
The Surgeon was the media's moniker for Dr. Martin Whitly, Malcolm's father.  
"Can you come?" He asked.  
"I haven't seen Malcolm Bright in almost five years." I sighed.  
"I know but you were so close. You were the first person he spoke to after his father was arrested. I think he needs you."  
"He didn't need me when he left."   
"I don't think that's true."  
"Maybe it is, Maybe it isn't. Did you ask him if he needs me?"   
"No. Last time I asked one of you if you needed the other your stubbornness prevailed and you wouldn't let me call."  
"I didn't need him." I sighed thinking back to the events of the previous December and how much easier it might have been with him by my side.  
"Sure... Will you come?" He asked again.  
"Of course I will. It'll take me a couple hours."  
"I forgot your parents moved to Monroe."   
"Yeah, shortly after Malcolm and I left for Harvard. Evan was pissed."  
"So, I'll see you in a couple hours?"  
"Yeah. I'll see you then."  
I hung up the phone and looked back towards my parent's house. I didn't really want to see the looks of disapproval nor hear the complaints that they'd give me when I told them I'd be leaving so I just walked out to my metallic gray 2019 Honda Civic and left.  
I took a deep breath outside the large double doors to the 75th precinct and opened one of the doors to walk in.  
"Can I help you, Ma'am?" A uniformed patrol officer greeted me.  
"I'm looking for Lieutenant Gil Arroyo or Malcolm Bright."  
"I've got her, Gordon." Gil said coming around the corner.  
"Thank you." I smiled at him.  
"Gil." I sighed as he hugged me.  
"It's good to see you, Lily." He smiled at me.  
"You too. Where is he?" I asked.  
"He was working in the conference room but I think he fell asleep."  
"You shouldn't let him sleep here. He has night terrors." I sighed.  
Malcolm's scream pulled me away from Gil and I raced towards the sound. I pushed myself in between the wall of uniformed officers between me and Malcolm. He was tangled on the floor with a young detective with light brown skin and black curly hair. It looked like he was fighting her but I knew he was fighting whatever evil he saw in his mind.  
"Back off." I said firmly shielding him with my body as I crouched beside them.  
"Malcolm? Can you her me?" I asked as I reached forward and gently rested my palm against the bare skin on the side of his neck.   
He froze, his eyes shot open and he looked at me.  
"Lily?" He whispered my name.  
"I'm here, Malcolm."  
He released the woman on the floor with us and lunged at me wrapping his arms around me.  
"It's okay. I've got you. It's okay." I whispered as I met Gil's eye.  
"Show's over. Everyone back to work." He said ushering everyone away from us.  
"How did you do that?" The young woman on the floor with us asked me.  
"Malcolm and I have known each other a very long time. It's just always been this way. I've calmed him out of my fair share of night terrors and he's done the same for me." I explained still holding him to me.  
His breath came in quick bursts against my skin drawing my attention back to him.  
"Malcolm, you need to calm down, love." I whispered.  
"Look at me." I urged pulling gently away from him and placing my hands on either side of his face.  
"Look at me. Breathe. Slowly." I instructed looking into his crystal blue eyes.  
"In, two, three, four... Hold, two, three, four... Out, two, three, four."  
Malcolm breathed with me three or four times before he focused back on me.  
"Lily?" He said my name again.  
"I'm here." I sighed.  
"I don't understand." He shook his head.  
"Gil called. Said this guy's mimicking your dad."  
He nodded.  
"The Quartet." He whispered.  
I leaned back against the desk behind me.  
The Quartet was a set of four murders The Surgeon committed in 1992. Malcolm was four years old.  
"How many?" I asked.  
"Three so far."  
"Let's catch this son of a bitch." I looked at him.  
He nodded and stood up offering me his hand to help me stand.  
"You look nice." He said softly taking in my calf length, V neck black dress with 3/4 sleeves.  
"Thank you. My mother hated it."  
"Of course she did." He shook his head turning to help up his new friend.  
"I'm Detective Dani Powell." She said extending her hand to me.  
"Dr. Lilian Russell." I smiled taking her hand.  
She froze.  
"THE Lilian Russell? That solved the Seattle Stalker case?"  
"There was a fairly large team that solved that case. I was a small part of it." I chuckled.  
"You're the one that got the confession." She pointed out.  
"That is my job." I laughed.  
"I guess so. I followed that case closely. It was incredible work."  
"Thank you, Detective Powell." I smiled.  
"Dani, please." She corrected me.  
"Of course."  
Malcolm in true Malcolm Bright fashion disappeared while Dani and I were talking. I found him and Gil sitting together in Gil's office.  
"They're called pavor-nocturnus - night terrors - and they're not fun. But on the bright side they're ruining my life, so..." He explained as Gil waved me in.  
"You knew?" Gil asked as I leaned against the door I closed behind me.  
"Of course I did. I've known Malcolm for twenty one years. We dated for five. There's not much I don't know." I answered with a shrug while Malcolm nodded.  
"You should probably know that I chopped off a man's hand with an axe. I had to. There was a bomb." Malcolm said looking up at me with his best innocent expression.  
"Oh, and I got fired from the FBI. I punched a sherriff. He called me 'son'." He shuddered at the memory.  
"Well deserved then."  
"I thought so. Apparently the board didn't." He frowned.  
"We found something in Nico's apartment that you need to see." Gil said looking at Malcolm.  
"What is it?" He asked cautiously.  
Gil pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to him. Malcolm froze when he opened it igniting my protective instincts.  
"They're The Surgeon's drawings." Malcolm said flipping through them.  
"How did this guy get those?" I asked gently.  
"I'll ask him." Malcolm said standing up and brushing passed me, out of the office.  
I followed him without a second thought.  
"Malcolm. Malcolm!" I called after him.  
"What Lily? Don't think you can convice me not to go." He snapped turning to look at me.  
"I couldn't stop you from walking out on me; I certainly don't think I can stop you from doing this. However, I can and am insisting that you're not going without me."  
"Lily..." He started to protest.  
"Do not start, Malcolm. It's non negotiable. Gil asked me here to be here for you. Where you go I go." I snapped.  
He closed his eyes and sighed before nodding.  
We drove to Claremont Psychiatric Hospital in silence. It was clear that what I'd said bothered him but I didn't regret it. I'd spent four years and nine months wondering what the hell happened. One day we were happy and the next he was gone and I was the one that had to live with that.  
I parked outside the hospital but Malcolm stayed frozen in the passenger seat.  
"It's not too late to turn back." I said gently.  
Malcolm and I had our issues since he left but when it came to his father he had my unyeilding support.  
He shook his head violently.  
"I have to do this. He won't talk to anyone but me." He sighed nervously but filled with conviction.  
"Let's go then."  
Upstairs I surrendered my sidearm and followed Malcolm down the long hallway to the single cell at the end. I could practically feel Malcolm's heart racing when his eyes met mine as the guard unlocked the cell door. I could remember the pain he went through trying to decide to stop visiting his father before we started at Quantico. It took him months of sleepless nights to make the decision and even longer still to tell his father about it. It wasn't because he needed the visits with Dr. Whitly but because he knew his father needed them and he didn't want to disappoint him.  
Back then I couldn't get him to let me come with him to his visits and now I could see why. Seeing that fear and pain on his face as the anticipation built ripped at my soul and tore my heart to shreds.  
"I'm right here." I assured him quietly as the door opened.   
He nodded and visibly steeled himself before walking through the door ahead of me.  
"Malcolm! My boy!" Dr. Martin Whitly exclaimed before his eyes caught mine.  
"Who's your friend?"  
"I'm Dr. Lilian Russell." I answered.  
"Little Lily Russell?" He asked looking me up and down.  
"I remember when you used to come over to the house to play with Malcolm and Ainsley."  
"Dr. Whitly." Malcolm said drawing his attention away from me.  
"You have a copycat."  
"Well... Well, I'm flattered... and deeply concerned." He amended when Malcolm rolled his eyes.  
"We found these in the apartment of a suspect. Do you know how he got them?" Malcolm asked handing him the drawings we'd found.  
"Well, these are my drawings. They should be in that third book on the top shelf of that book case right there." He directed Malcolm to the book and turned back to look at me.  
"You intrigue me." He tried to walk closer to me but his chains stopped him.  
"You watch him as if you're gauging his emotional response to me. I expected you to watch me to make sure I don't get too close to him. Don't touch him. Whatever. You though... You're concerned about his mental health. It's nice to see you two are still so close." He smiled at me.  
"Stop talking to her." Malcolm snapped.  
I looked back over at him and the book he was holding with pages clearly ripped out.  
"See? I was robbed. This is an outrage." His father exclaimed.  
"Three women are dead." Malcolm reminded him.  
"Yes. That's an outrage too. There can be multiple outrages."  
"He must have been a patient." Malcolm muttered looking at me.  
"Where are your patient files?"  
"Over there." His father pointed to a stack of files on yet another bookcase.  
Malcolm walked over and began sorting through the files. Eliminating the women, the men who were too old or too young before systematically working down the rest of the profile and continuing to eliminate men by race narrowing it down to two files.  
"You know these men better than anyone in this room. Tell me who it is." He looked at his father.  
"Oh, I don't know, Malcolm." He shook his head.  
Malcolm tilted his head a little.  
"You're afraid. Not of the police or the killer. You're afriad of me."  
"You?" His father countered with a nervous laugh.  
"It's obvious. Your breathing. The way you're holding your hands. How you're looking at the door. You're afraid I'm going to leave and this is it, and I'll never come back."  
I watched Dr. Whitly's face as Malcolm spoke. There was genuine fear in his expression eclipsing his need to control his son.  
"I'll give you this. Help me and I'll come back."  
"Malcolm..." I said his name urgently.  
"Trust me, Lily." He said gently.  
His father walked closer to him and examined the files in his hands.  
"Carter Berkhead. He had his heart attack whipping a woman in a sex dungeon." He said calmly.  
"Thank you, Dr. Whitly."  
Malcolm and I raced back to tell Gil what we'd learned.  
"The Berkhead's are hosting a fundraiser at their home tonight. We need someone on the inside to monitor the guests and avoid any surprises so Bright and Powell can make the arrest." Gil said looking at me.  
"I think I still have my invitation I was going to blow off." I sighed.  
An hour later I was in the locker room struggling to zip up my deep purple floor length beaded off the shoulder dress.  
"Lily?" Malcolm said my name from outside the door.  
"Come in." I called back.  
"Can you zip me up? I can't get it." I sighed as I heard his footsteps behind me.  
"Of course." He answered quietly.  
My breath caught in my chest when I felt his fingers brush against the bare skin of my back.  
"You look stunning." He breathed.  
"Thank you." I sighed looking at us in the floor length mirror.  
I wanted so badly to lean back against his chest the way I'd done a million times before.  
"I'm so sorry, Lily. I'm so sorry for everything."  
"I know." I sighed turning around to place my hand on his chest.  
"I bought you that ring." He mused touching the silver banded diamond and blue topaz ring on my right ring finger.  
"Yes, you did."  
"When did you start wearing it again?"  
"I never stopped." I answered.  
I could read the emotion in his face.  
"Let's catch this son of a bitch." I smiled up at him.  
He nodded.  
"We can talk after." I sighed taking a step away from him.  
"Be careful, Lily." He said taking my hand.  
"I will. You be careful too."   
I mingled around Berkhead Manor scanning the crowd for Carter. I saw Malcolm and Dani arrive.  
"Dr. Russell?" A female voice said behind me.  
I turned to find a woman slightly taller than me with dark brown hair that I immediately recognized as Jessica Whitly, Malcolm's mother.  
"Lily? It is you." She smiled at me.  
"Hello, Mrs. Whitly." I smiled back at her.  
"Oh, come now. We're both adults now. It's Jessica, please."  
"Of course, Jessica. How are you?"  
"I'm well. Have you seen Malcolm?" She asked,  
"I have, yes." I nodded.  
"You know that he was fired from the FBI?"  
"I do."  
"You're a psychiatrist, right?"  
I nodded confused.  
"I'm really worried about him and I don't know how to help him. I've never been very good at being there for him. How do I get him to talk to me?"  
"The best thing I can tell you is to talk to him. Express to him that you want to be there for him. Remind him that you love him."  
"What if he doesn't believe me?" She looked almost broken.  
I'd never see this side of her and I was certain Malcolm hadn't either.  
"Then you keep trying. You're his mom. He needs you."  
"I know that there's no excuse for him leaving the way he did but I know he needs you too." She smiled touching my arm.  
"Thank you, Jessica."  
"Thank you."  
Suddenly, this intense feeling of dread washed over me.  
"Let me give you my personal number, in case you need anything." I said.  
I pulled one of my cards out of my purse, my fingertips brushing against the cold metal of my firearm. I jotted down my cellphone number and handed it to her.  
"I hate to run but I have something I have to attend to."  
"Oh, of course. Thank you again, Lily."  
After excusing myself from Jessica I allowed my intuiton to guide me up a back staircase to a wooden door.  
"That's the thing Carter. I do. I do deserve The Surgeon's pain, because.... Because I'm his son." I heard Malcolm's voice admit through the door.  
"My... My real name is Malcolm Whitly. I changed it because I wanted to get away from him."  
I pulled my loaded pistol out of my purse and flipped the safety.  
"See, I thought I was afraid of my father and everything he taught me, but really I was afraid of me."   
I pushed the door open silently and trained my pistol on Carter Berkhead. Malcolm knelt on the floor in front of him with the tip of a syringe pressed against his forearm.  
"So, I betrayed him. I became a profiler and hunted down people like him. So, now's your chance, Carter. Now's your chance to kill me. His prodigal son." He said standing up in front if him.  
"No. Bright, no." Dani said from where she lay on the floor.  
"I'm willing to let go." Malcolm whispered.  
I read the longing on his face as Carter reached forward to touch the syringe. I pulled the trigger.  
It happened so quickly but also in slow motion. The bullet entered Carter's chest under his right arm and I could almost trace the trajectory through his right lung before lodging in his heart.  
I pushed the rest of the way into the room and checked Carter's pulse. I looked up towards Malcolm to see him pull away from Dani's hand when she touched his chin and looking at her with an expression I could only describe as defeat.  
"You weren't going to let him do that right? Right?" She asked him.  
"Of course not. That'd be crazy." He answered   
"Come on, Dani. He'll be okay. I've got him." I assured her as Gil helped her up.  
I didn't even see him come in.  
I moved to replace Dani in front of Malcolm.  
"Are you okay?" I asked gently touching his shoulder.  
He nodded.  
"Part of me really wanted him to kill me." He looked at me a tear falling from his eye.  
"I know." I whispered wiping the tear off his face.  
"Let me take you home, Malcolm."  
"Yeah, okay."  
Neither of us spoke during the drive to Malcolm's apartment. I put the car in park and turned to look at him.  
"Malcolm?"  
He turned to me and took my face in his hands pressing his lips to mine. I moaned involuntarily as he kissed me. I reached up and slid my fingers into his hair, drawing him closer to me as he kissed me harder.  
"Malcolm. Malcolm wait." I gently pushed against him.  
"What? What's wrong?" He asked breathlessly.  
"We can't just jump back into this without talking about what happened. We've been apart four years, not four days." I sighed.  
"Do you remember how it was before we started dating to begin with?"  
He nodded looking at me.  
"I've been having horrible night terrors and memories, I think." He admitted looking down at his hands.  
"About your dad?" I asked.  
He nodded again.  
"There's this girl in a box... You studied the case files. Do you remember anything about them finding a body the night he was arrested?"  
I shook my head.   
"That was years ago, Malcolm. Just because I don't remember doesn't mean it wasn't in there." I sighed.  
"Could you get them again?"  
"The case files? God, Malcolm. I don't know. Maybe."  
"Please, Lily. Please you have to believe me. No one else ever believed me." He begged.  
"I do. I do believe you, Malcolm." I gently ran my fingers through his hair.   
"I'll look into it, okay? I'll find the truth." I assured him.  
He nodded.  
"Go on up and get some rest. I'll call you if or when I find something."  
"Okay. Yeah, okay." He sighed turning his face and kissing the inside of my wrist.  
"Goodnight, Lily."  
"Goodnight, Malcolm."  
I watched him climb out of my car and walk into the building. I waited until I saw the light flip on in his apartment before driving away.  
My heart pounded in my chest. I was never supposed to fall in love with Malcolm Whitly to begin with, then he left and it shattered me. Should I really fall in love with him again? Could I trust him again?


	3. Annihilator

"What do you mean you aren't working the case today?" Malcolm asked on the phone.  
"The only reason I worked the copycat case was because Gil was worried about you working your father's murders." I reminded him with a yawn.  
"I know but I love working with you. I'd forgotten just how much."  
"I hate you. Send me the address." I sighed.  
"Thank you." He said a smile in his voice.  
I shook my head and hung up the phone climbing out of my bed.   
I walked into the large penthouse sometime before Gil and Malcolm.  
"Where's your creepy friend?" JT asked me.  
"Please don't start insulting him so early in the morning. I haven't had my coffee and I don't feel like kicking your ass." I sighed walking passed him towards where the four victims sat around a mahogany table.  
"Edrisa." I greeted the medical examiner.  
"Lily! It's been awhile." She smiled at me.  
"Yes, it has." I agreed.  
I'd worked closely with Edrisa in the year after Malcolm left.  
"What is your problem?" JT asked aggressively.  
I turned back to look at him.  
"I think I should be asking you that." I shot back.  
"You know who he is!"  
"I do. A hell of a lot better than you do." I countered standing my ground as he approached me again.  
"I wouldn't piss her off if I were you." Malcolm said walking into the room holding a paper coffee cup.  
"She has a black belt in Krav Maga." He handed me the cup of coffee.  
"Peppermint white mocha, extra shot." He smiled at me in a way that let me know he'd heard enough of mine and JT's conversation.  
"You're a lifesaver." I told him sipping my coffee.  
Until halfway through our senior year at Harvard, Malcolm couldn't stand coffee but he always made sure mine was just right.  
"Is that true?" JT asked.  
"It is. I started practicing when we were, what? Fifteen?" I looked at Malcolm who nodded.  
"I've never lied to or about Lily." Malcolm muttered wandering around the dining room table where Edrisa continued working on her preliminary observations.  
"What do you see, Malcolm?" I asked watching him.  
"At first glance, I'd say the father was the primary target. His lips are sewn shut and it looks like there's some faint bruising on the sides of his face. The killer stood behind him and held his head like this..." Malcolm held his hands in the air on either side of the head.  
Edrisa watched him in awe. I chuckled.  
"Poison?" He looked at her.  
She nodded speechlessly.  
Malcolm was utterly oblivious to her admiration. His eyes were on me. Almost searching for my approval. He never used to do that.  
"Why don't you give a profile?" JT asked me causing Malcolm to sigh.  
"I'm not a profiler. I'm a forensic psychiatrist." I answered as politely as I could manage.  
"What's the difference?" He pushed.  
"Malcolm and I tend to describe it as he opens while I close. Profiling is taking the information from the scene, victimology, and so on to find an unidentified subject or UNSUB, suspect. Whatever. Forensic or criminal psychiatry is taking the suspect's background in relation to their crimes to try to obtain a confession or determine if they are mentally stable enough to stand trial as the situation calls. Perhaps we should give Malcolm some respect and hear what he has to tell us?"  
"I'm not sure I understand why you're here?"  
"Because I asked her here." Gil interrupted aggressively stepping between JT and I.  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Malcolm look down at his phone. His expression confused as he stepped away. Dani and JT practically cornered Gil to complain about Malcolm. I followed Malcolm just out of the room just in time to catch the change in his tone.  
"This isn't a good time." He sighed.  
I nodded at him once he caught my eye. He closed his eyes and raised his trembling hand. I reached out and touched his fingers lending him my strength. I felt him sigh as the tremor ceased.  
"Goodbye, Dr. Whitly." He said firmly.  
His eyes met mine, his expression grateful and his hand still in mine.  
"Snake!" Edrisa yelled pulling Malcolm and I back into the room.  
Malcolm pushed me back gently so I stood behind him as we watched seven or eight snakes slither out of the patriarch's mouth.  
"Oh my..." I gasped gripping ahold of his arm as one of the snakes started crawling up Edrisa's leg.  
"It's okay." Malcolm whispered to me stepping forward.  
I noticed JT had pulled his pistol.  
"Malcolm." I said his name.  
"I've got it. It's okay. Stay there, Lily." He insisted.  
"Hi, Edrisa. How are you doing?" He asked in an attempt to calm her as he grabbed a cloth napkin off the table.  
"I'm terrified. I can't move."  
"That's good. That's your body protecting you from danger. Snakes like this are attracted to motion. So, if I just..."  
He bounced the napkin in his hand held out in front of his body trying to coax the snake. After what felt like an eternity the snake struck out at Malcolm who caught the snake in his hands, allowing JT to push the other snakes away from Edrisa.  
"Malcolm?" I called his name.  
"I'm okay. Edrisa?" He asked looking over at her.  
She nodded silently staring at the body until Gil walked over to her and helped her out of the room.  
"Are you okay?" I asked Malcolm when he walked over to me later back at the precinct.  
"I'm fine, Lily. Are you okay?" He asked.  
"Yeah? I'm fine?" I answered questioningly.  
"You shot and killed a man last week." He reminded me.  
I smirked a little.  
"Yes. I shot and killed a man who was threatening the life of someone I care very deeply for. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."  
"We should talk." He smiled sadly at me.  
"Yes, we should." I answered as my phone rang.  
"We'll find time, Malcolm, I promise." I touched his arm as I walked passed him to take the call.  
"Russell." I answered.  
"Lily? It's Ashlyn. I found the files you asked for. They aren't even digital. How am I supposed to get them to you?" She asked.  
"Meet me in Philly in two?" I asked.  
"For you? Anything." She sighed and hung up.  
I looked through the picture window into the conference room where Malcolm was delivering the rest of his profile. He walked around the room gesturing with his hands to get his point across. He may not be good with his emotions but he was damn good at his job.  
"Gil? Can I speak to you a moment?" I asked sticking my head into the room.  
He looked at me and nodded.  
"Is everything okay?" He asked as we walked into his office.  
"Yeah. I need to take a quick trip down to Philadelphia. Two hours down, two hours back." I sighed.  
"What did he ask you for? He won't find all the answers in those files."  
"This is for me. I have some questions and there's only one way I'm going to get them." I insisted.  
"Okay. Okay. I'll tell him I sent you to run a lead." He sighed.  
"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can."  
I drove the two hours down to downtown Philadelphia and parked in the back of the FBI field office parking lot and waited. Within twenty minutes Ashlyn's green Ford Edge pulled up beside me.  
"You know I shouldn't give this to you." She sighed once I climbed out of the car.  
"You're too close to this."  
"I'm not investigating it, Ash. It's research."  
"On your boyfriend's dad."  
"He's not my boyfriend right now." I sighed.  
"Right now..."  
"This could help him get the answers he's been looking for. How can I not use my connections to find those answers for him?" I asked her.  
"I brought the files, didn't I?" She shook her head opening the back of her car revealing two large cardboard file boxes.   
"Thank you, Ashlyn."   
"They're copies so no one is going to miss them. I truly hope you find the answers you need."  
I moved the two boxes into my trunk.  
"Thank you again. I'm truly grateful."  
She reached over and hugged me.  
"This guy better treat you better than Bryce did." She whispered in my ear.  
I smiled at her as I pulled away.  
"You don't have to worry about that."  
"Good. I have to get back before they notice I left." She teased.  
"The fact that you can be gone for four hours and no one notices is a testament to the supervisors in the FBI." I sighed.  
She laughed as I watched her get into her car and drive away before I began my own two hour drive back to New York.  
Just as I crossed the city line my phone rang.  
"Russell?" I answered.  
"Lily. Something happened. Malcolm's been rushed to the hospital. He was bitten by a snake." Gil told me.  
"I'll be right there." I stated pressing my gas pedal to the floor.  
I didn't know until I arrived at the hospital that Malcolm had left me as one of his emergency contacts behind his sister, Ainsley.   
"Right this way, Dr. Russell." The elderly female nurse lead me to Malcolm's hospital room.  
He looked surprisingly peaceful lying in the hospital bed.  
"Has he been sedated?" I asked sitting down in the chair next to him.  
"He has. He was shaking violently and was almost combative so we didn't have a choice." She explained.  
"He has complex PTSD, night terrors, generalized anxiety, and tremors. He shouldn't be sedated." I sighed.  
"We didn't have a choice." She repeated.  
"Thank you." I said dismissively turning my full attention to Malcolm.  
"Lily?" Dani said my name from the doorway.  
"Hey, Dani." I sighed not taking my eyes off him.  
"Is he okay?" She asked walking up next to my chair.  
I nodded.  
"He's sedated but he'll be okay."  
"I'm glad to hear that."  
"His sister should be here soon too." I nodded again.  
"He has a sister?"  
"Mmhm. Ainsley. She's a crime reporter here in New York." I answered absently.  
"If he's going to be okay why are you so worried?" She asked.  
"Sedatives don't suppress his night terrors; they trap him inside them. They did this to him when we were thirteen. He wasn't sleeping, at all, for months. It was dangerous and unhealthy but the sedatives they gave him trapped him in his head. For hours. When he came back, he'd 'slept' but he was terrified. He completely shut down. He wouldn't speak, eat, nothing. It took another month before he'd speak to me and even longer before he spoke to anyone else." I sighed.  
"I don't know why I'm telling you that. I've never told anyone that."  
"You're just worried about him but he's clearly strong and he's got you. He's going to be okay." She assured me.  
"I know."  
Her phone rang and she looked at me apologetically.  
"Go. We'll be fine." I assured her with an unconvincing smile.  
As Dani left the nurse returned to check his IV and vitals.  
"How are you doing, Dr. Russell?" She asked me gently.  
"I'm alright. How's he doing?" I asked moving out of her way to stand by the window.  
"His vitals are holding stable. It seems the antivenom is working." She assured me leaning over him.  
Malcolm's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist causing her to scream as his eyes shot open.  
"What did you give me? I need to wake up!" He screamed at her.  
I rushed over and pushed in between them taking his wrist in my hand. I applied gentle pressure on his wrist with my thumb rubbing circles to relax the muscles until he released her and I could slide my hand in his.  
"Malcolm. Malcolm, look at me." I urged touching his face with my other hand.   
"You're awake. You're awake."  
"Are you sure?" He breathed his scared eyes on mine.  
"Of course I'm sure." I answered gently.  
"Okay. Okay." He sighed gripping my hand.  
"It's okay. You're okay." I soothed him as he laid his head against my chest.   
"I'm sorry." He muttered pulling away from me.  
"No. Don't be." I shook my head.  
"Are we ever going to get time to talk?" He asked.  
"I hate constantly needing you when I haven't even explained myself."  
"I don't mind." I said.  
"Of course you do. I walked out on you. I didn't know how to tell you I was afraid so I left."   
"Afraid of what?" I asked quietly.  
"Afraid of you. Afraid of me. Afraid of us. I was so scared of how deeply I felt for you. Loving you was scary. I didn't know what I was doing but suddenly it was you. Everything I did was for you or about you. and it terrified me. Love wasn't something I was raised with. I just wanted to be with you and even that realization scared me. I talked to my therapist about it and she told me to take some time and space but I screwed that up too because she meant to tell you how I was feeling and instead I ran." He sighed heavily.   
"Five years." I whispered.  
"We've been apart for almost five years."  
"I know. I can't even begin to apologize for that. I missed you the minute I left but I knew how bad I hurt you and I didn't know how to come back. I didn't think you'd want me."  
"Malcolm. I never stopped wanting you. I never stopped loving you." I wiped the traitorous tear from my face.  
"We have a lot more to discuss before we'll be anywhere near where we were before this."  
"I know. I don't know how to ask you to forgive me." He whispered touching my face.  
"I do forgive you. We're just different people now. We're five years removed from who we were when we were." I touched his hand again.  
"Malcolm?" Ainsley's voice came from the doorway.  
"Ains?" Malcolm looked over at her.  
"I'm going to leave you two to talk. My parent's are insisting on another dinner since they're flying to Egypt tomorrow." I sighed.  
"Oh, joy..." He muttered playfully.  
"There's the man I fell in love with." I teased quietly.  
He smiled at me his cheeks turning slightly red.  
"I'll call you if I survive the evening."  
He nodded.  
"Ainsley." I smiled at her as I started to walk out.  
"Oh my gosh. Lily? I didn't realize it was you." She exclaimed hugging me.  
"Hey, Ains." I hugged her back.  
"I have to run. Take care of your brother." I teased.  
"I will if he lets me. You know how he is." She smiled.  
"That I do."  
I got home and dressed in a simple black half sleeved knee length dress with my silver 'Make Today Count' necklace and simple black one inch heels and drove the two hours out to my parent's home again.  
"Why must you always wear black to our dinners?" My mother asked as we sat around the dining room table.  
"It's not a funeral, Lilian." My father added.  
"It's certianly not a party." I answered.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" He growled at me.  
"You know what it means. I come here to support Evan, not for any other reason." I shot back at him.  
"Why do you do this?" My mother asked me.  
"Do what exactly?" I asked looking back at her.  
"Pay off my daughter's abuser? Make her feel like it was her fault? Introduce her to the man who ended up putting her in the hospital and killing her unborn baby? Oh. Wait. That was the two of you." I hissed.  
"I should never have come here."  
I stood up throwing my napkin on the table and walked out of the house.  
"Lily. Lily!" My brother called after me.  
"What Evan? What? Am I wrong?" I asked.  
"No. Of course not but we're family." He sighed.  
"Are we? I've spent the entirity of the last thirty years trying to appease them. It's never enough. I'm not you, Evan. I'll never be you." I snapped.  
"You know I love you Evan but I can't do this anymore. I reconnected with Malcolm recently." I sighed looking up at him.  
"I've noticed. He brings the strength out of you. No matter what mom and dad have said about him, he's good for you." Evan kissed my forehead.  
"I think you may be right." I sighed.  
"They'll want you to come back after their trip." He reminded me.  
"Of course they will. I don't know if I can do that. I need to cool off."  
"Get out of here. Before they come out after you." He teased.  
"Love you, Evan."  
"I love you too, Lily."  
I decided to return to the precinct to see if they needed more help with the case. Work always made me feel better in that I knew I was doing some good.  
"Lily." Gil called from his office.  
"Yeah." I answered walking in.  
"You look like you could use a drink." He smiled knowingly at me.  
"I really could." I sighed sitting next to Malcolm on the couch in Gil's office.  
"What happened?" He asked.  
"Same thing that always happens when I go to my parent's." I answered with a sigh taking the glass of whisky gratefully from Gil.  
"I don't understand why you keep going out there." Malcolm sighed.  
"Neither do I. Did you find your killer?" I asked.  
"We did. Turns out the attorney, Jon Littman, was the illegitimate son. When he found out who his father was and confronted him, he tried to pay him off. It pissed him off and he decided to teach him a lesson." Malcolm explained.  
"He's leaving out the part where he and Dani saved Littman, his three kids and his wife when Bright realized that he'd poisoned them all." Gil added.  
"It always throws me off when you call him that." I shook my head finishing my drink.  
"I think I need to head home." Malcolm muttered beside me.  
"Are you okay?" I asked turning my attention to him.  
"Yeah. Yeah." He tried to assure me standing up before stumbling forward.  
"Malcolm." I said his name catching him in my arms.  
"Woah. I think the alcohol is mixing with the sedatives." He sighed leaning into me.  
"Let me get you home." I sighed taking more of his weight.  
"Are you going to be okay with him?" Gil asked eyeing me.  
"Of course. I've got him." I answered.  
Malcolm gave me his keys after I helped him out of the car in front of his apartment building. I helped him up the stairs to his actual apartment. I pushed the front door open and he stumbled away from me towards his bed. A small yellow bird tweeted in the corner greeting him.  
"You got a bird?" I asked looking at the small animal in his cage.  
"Yeah. About a year ago." He answered looking up at me.  
I walked over to the bed as he fastened a restraint around his left wrist.  
"What are these?" I asked gently sitting on the edge of his bed.  
"For the night terrors. Sexy huh?" He smiled sadly.  
"They're worse than before?"  
He nodded relunctly not looking at me as he tried to fasten his other restraint.  
"Let me help you." I whispered taking his hand in mine so I could fasten the restraint around his wrist.  
"Nothing helps." He admitted.  
"Nothing but you."  
"Get some sleep, Malcolm. We'll talk more when you're sober." I ran my fingers gently through his hair to calm him.  
"Do me a favor before you leave?" He asked half asleep.  
"What is it?"  
"Over on the counter is a spare key. Take it. Just in case." He muttered.  
"In case what?"  
"In case I need you."  
"Okay. I will." I soothed him until his breathing slowed indicating he'd finally fallen asleep.  
I gently pressed my lips to his forehead before standing up and taking the key off the counter and leaving the apartment.  
Arriving home I moved the two large boxes into my study in my loft gently touching the name on the front of the boxes: Dr. Martin Whitly.


	4. Fear Response

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *THIS SECTION CONTAINS MATURE THEMES SUCH AS SELF HARM AND ABUSE. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED*

"I'm sure you deserved it."  
"If you'd been a better woman he wouldn't have done that."  
"I still don't understand why you insist on leaving him."  
"You're weak."  
"You're going to ruin his life with your lies."  
I sat at the desk in my bedroom with my head in my hands, my mother's voice screaming in my head. My breathing ragged and irregular; my heart pounded in my chest. My hands shook violently, putting Malcolm's tremors to shame. Sitting in front of me near the middle of the desk was a small silver razor blade, two tissues folded into small squares and a large bottle of rubbing alcohol. I'd started using this system when I'd began hurting myself at the beginning of January.  
I picked up one of the tissues and splashed alcohol on it. I cleaned the inside of my left forearm before picking up the blade in my trembling hand. As I dragged the blade across my arm, splitting my skin apart, my heartrate slowed, my breathing calmed, and my hands stopped shaking. Silent tears streamed down my face mimicking the blood spilling from the four lines I made in my arm.  
I took a deep breath composing myself as my phone rang.  
"Russell?" I answered not bothering to look at the caller ID.  
"Lily. It's Gil. I've been trying to reach Bright but he's not answering. Can you go check on him and bring him out to this crime scene?" He asked.  
"Sure. Text me the address and we'll be there as soon as we can." I answered watching the blood pool up on my arm.   
After I hung up I splashed more alcohol on the second tissue and cleaned the blood from my arm. I bandaged the arm and dressed in a black pantsuit and a white undershirt.   
I pulled up outside Malcolm's apartment building to find his mother standing outside on the phone.  
"Jessica?" I called climbing out of the car.  
"Have you spoken to my son?" She asked me.  
"Not today." I responded.  
I heard the window shatter less than a second before glass rained down on Jessica and I. I looked up to see Malcolm dangling out the window by one of his restraints.   
"Malcolm!" I called his name.  
I unlocked the door with the key he'd given me and ran up the stairs to his apartment with Jessica a half step behind me.  
"Malcolm, I need you to reach up to me." I called as I leaned out his window.  
He took my hand and helped me pull him back into the room.  
"Can you step onto my feet? There's glass all over the floor."  
I helped him walk into the room without cutting up the bottoms of his feet.  
"Gil's been trying to call you. We have a new case. I'll wait out in the car for you to talk to your mom." I told him gently touching his shoulder.  
While I waited in the driver's seat of my car I absentmindedly ran my fingers over the four cuts I'd made on my arm from outside my jacket sleeve.  
"Are you okay?" Malcolm asked climbing into my passenger seat.  
"I'm not the one throwing myself out my window." I chuckled.  
"True, but I know that look." He smiled at me.  
"Don't worry about me." I answered.  
"That's not answering my question." He pointed out.  
"No. It isn't." I sighed.  
"I'm not okay but you don't need to worry about that right now. What were you dreaming about?" I asked sliding the car into drive and slipping onto the road.  
"I found the girl in the box. My father grabbed me from behind and chloroformed me. Did I ever say anything to you about this when we were young?" He asked.  
"No. Not that I remember." I answered shaking my head.  
We pulled up outside a small park near New York University. Malcolm helped me as we made our way down into the forest towards the crime scene.  
"Professor David Holton." Dani says as we approach the body.  
"He has some damage to his optic nerve resulting in the pure white eyes." Edrisa said motioning Malcolm and I forward.  
"What are these incisions here?" I asked standing next to her.  
"The killer removed the brain." She answered pulling on the hair revealing the opening in the skull.  
"Hmm..." I muttered examining the opening.  
"You aren't disgusted?" JT asked me.  
"To be completely honest this isn't the worst thing I've ever seen." I shrugged standing up straight.  
"Our killer is what's known as a visionary killer. He likely suffers from a severe mental illness and recently suffered a psychotic break. Visionary killers believe they are serving some kind of higher power." Malcolm explained.  
"Bright, Lily look at this." Edrisa called to us.  
Pinned to the victims undershirt is a note with seemingly random words scribbled on it.  
Malcolm and I shared a look.  
"What does it mean?" Gil asked.  
"We're not sure but we know that both the note and the missing brain have great significance to our killer." Malcolm responded.  
Malcolm and I stood with the rest of the team in the conference room looking over the crime scene photos and Edrisa's full autopsy report when a young officer walked in.  
"Mr. Bright? Telephone for you. Your doctor." She said.  
I watched him as he walked out, glanced at Gil before returning my attention to Dani and JT's new theory.  
"Lily." Gil said my name.  
I walked over to him and he motioned silently to Malcolm sitting at the desk with his back to us. His hand trembled violently.  
I walked out and gently took his hand. He looked up at me as I sat on the desk next to him, his hand sandwiched between mine.  
"Goodbye Dr. Whitly." He sighed hanging up the phone.  
"I'm growing tired of these phone privileges." He muttered.  
"So am I." I nodded squeezing his hand.  
"Gil wants us to take Bright with us to the college to interview Elaine Brown." Dani said walking over to us.  
I looked up and caught Gil's eye, his expression unreadable.  
"That's a great idea." I smiled at Malcolm.  
"Lily. Help me out with this." Gil called.  
After Malcolm left Gil pulled me into his office.  
"What is it, Gil? You've been giving me that look since we got to the crime scene." I sighed sitting on the couch.  
It surprised me when he sat next to me.  
"I sent Malcolm with Dani and JT so he wouldn't see us talking. Since the day I met you you've always told me that you run warm. Since you've been back to New York you've only worn short sleeves, until today." He sighed looking at me.  
"So?" I asked almost silently.  
"Show me." He insisted.  
I sighed and took my jacket off revealing the bandage wrapped around my forearm.  
"When did it start?" He asked gently touching the edge of the bandage.  
"January fourth."  
"Does he know?"   
I shook my head.  
"He knows something's wrong but I don't think he'd ever guess it's this bad." I answered.  
"It was worse in DC. I could hardly go a week without... Every where I went was another memory. I keep hearing my mother's voice telling me it's my fault."  
"But it isn't, Lily. None of the things that happened to you are your fault."   
"Tell my parents that." I laughed dryly.  
"If they ever spoke to me I would. Does Evan know?"  
"No. Evan just started his senior year so we don't spend a whole lot of time together anymore." I sighed shaking my head.  
"You need to talk to someone." He said gently.  
"I'm talking to you."  
"I'm not Evan and I'm not Malcolm. You need to talk to one of them. They're the one's that'll pull you back out of this."  
"Yeah, maybe." I leaned back against the back of the couch.  
"Give Malcolm a chance. I know he seems fragile right now but you're his strength as much as he is yours."  
"Then why'd he leave?" I asked still struggling to justify it in my head.  
"Fear. Love for Malcolm is a terrifying thing and to feel as deeply as he feels for you is paralyzing. He left to get distance and he had no idea how to tell you." He repeated the same things Malcolm told me and I realized they'd talked about this.  
"We haven't even made time to talk about it. We just keep pushing it off. I think we're both afraid of what the outcome will be." I sighed.  
"You've been friends for twenty one years. Whatever happens don't you think you're relationship is stronger?"  
I nodded.  
"I'll talk to him." I assured him.  
"You should. You both need someone to lean on. He doesn't know about Bryce at all, does he?"  
"No. I haven't found time to tell him. How do I tell him?"  
"The same way you tell him everything else. No matter what you tell him he'll support you."  
"I know you're right. I just don't want to hurt him."  
"Keeping it from him is going to hurt him more in the long run. What happens if you accidentally cut too deep and he has to find out from the hospital? Or worse he has to find you after? What if it's too late to save you then?" He took my hand in his practically pleading with me.  
"I'll tell him after the case. I don't want him distracted now. It could be dangerous." I sighed.  
"Okay. Okay. I hope you know that I'm just trying to help." He gently squeezed my hand.  
I nodded.  
"If anyone can talk you off this ledge it's Malcolm."  
"I know."  
"Hey. Is everything okay? Oh my gosh, what happened to your arm?" Malcolm exclaimed walking in.  
I sighed and glanced at Gil who nodded.  
"Can you spare us for an hour or so?" I asked him.  
"Yeah. We've got it covered." He assured me.  
"Will you come over? I need to talk to you and I can't put it off anymore." I turned to Malcolm.  
He nodded watching my face.  
"Whatever you need."  
Malcolm followed me into my loft.  
"This is nice." He muttered still clearly concerned.  
"Is this about what was wrong this morning?"  
I nodded walking over to my couch.  
"Come sit with me?" I asked.  
He walked over and sat next to me.  
"I have to tell you something but I don't know how." I admitted.  
"You can tell me anything, Lily." He assured me turning to me.  
"God, I wish you didn't have to deal with this." I sighed.  
"Lily. What's going on?"  
"It was not quite a year after you left. My parents made the trip down to DC for the holidays and my mother insisted I attend this fundraiser on their last night in town. She introduced me to a man, Bryce Abbott. He was a business man out of Washington DC. We didn't hit it off right away. I wasn't over you. I never got over you." I sighed looking down at my ring.  
He took my hand gently.  
"Evan came down the first week of his summer vacation and Bryce took us to dinner and Evan showed off the men's ring he got with the same stone. Told Bryce that he bought them for us for Christmas. I thought it was odd but I still ended up agreeing to date him. I'd meant it to be casual.  
"He hit me the first time two weeks after our first date. We were arguing about this case I was working and he backhanded me. I didn't leave. I knew I should have and I wanted to but I didn't. It was like I wasn't myself anymore. I wasn't the person you knew anymore. Evan figured it out a year later. Found bruises on my arms from where he'd grab me when I'd try to walk away from him. The arms weren't even the worst he'd done but I defended him. I blamed myself for what he did. Isn't that fucking crazy?" I looked up at his face his expression unreadable.  
"I still didn't leave. For another year and a half. I didn't leave until he put me in the hospital four days before Christmas last year. I'd just found out I was pregnant and was planning to leave. I didn't have much self preservation instinct but I wasn't about to raise a baby in that environment. He found out I was planning to leave and he knocked me into the counter and I split my head open." I reached up and touched the faint scar on my forehead.  
"Then he was on top of me, choking me with one hand and punching me in the stomach with the other. I don't remember anything else until I woke up in the hospital. I'd lost the baby in the attack. I managed to tell one of the nurses that I wanted to get out and I knew a lieutenant in New York and if I could just get away from him I could drive up there and I'd be safe. An unrelated colleague in the hospital agreed to rent a car and they snuck me out the back. I drove straight to the precinct. I was bleeding heavily from my miscarriage. I'm sure I looked like I was dead when I asked the front desk for Gil.   
"I cried when I saw him and collapsed into his arms. He got me admitted to the hospital under the name Jade Bright where I healed physically. I stayed with Evan through the holidays and my mother made it a point to tell me every time she saw me that it was my fault he hit me. If I'd been more attentive, more attractive... If I was a better woman then he wouldn't have hit me."  
"Lily." Malcolm said my name, his voice sounded strangled.  
Gently I pulled my hand from his and took the bandage off my arm revealing the four perfectly parallel cuts I'd made that morning.  
"Oh. Lily." Malcolm took my arm in his hands gently touching the cuts.  
"I couldn't get her voice out of my head. Telling me I was responsible for what he'd done to me. It was like I was ten years old again. I was responsible for being molested. If she knew what happened when we were fifteen I'd be responsible for that. I got home late the night of the third and it was like I couldn't breathe. I was suffocating and the only thing that released the pressure inside me was giving it a place to escape from. The blood reminded me that I was human, that I wasn't responsible for what happened to me. Then I couldn't stop. It's easier to heal physically than it is to heal emotionally."  
My tears flowed freely now.  
"I was scared. I'm still so scared of what you'll think of me now."  
"Oh, Lily. Come here."  
He pulled me into his arms and let me cry on his chest.  
"I'm going to help you. We're going to get through this, Lily. I promise you." He assured me kissing my head.  
"Why don't they love me?" I asked him.  
"I don't know, baby. I can't imagine how anyone could not love you. I don't understand how anyone could want to hurt you." He held me tighter.  
"I never meant to hurt you. I can never make up for leaving the way I did but I'm here now and I'll never leave you again."  
"I've only ever felt safe when I'm with you." I admitted.  
"You are safe with me, Lily. We'd been together five years and we'd talked about getting married and I wanted nothing more than to spend my life with you but I got so scared. I was scared I'd turn out like my father and I'd hurt you. I should have talked to you about everything that was scaring me and we'd have gotten through it together."  
"Malcolm. Look at me." I whispered pulling away from him.  
He looked down into my eyes.  
"You are nothing like your father. Do you remember when I called you that July morning when we were fifteen?" I asked.  
"Of course I do."  
"I couldn't even tell you what happened and you still ran right over." I sighed.  
"You are not your father. Do you hear me?"  
"I hear you. I just want to be the man you need me to be."  
"I need you to be you. No one and nothing else."   
Malcolm's phone rang.  
"Yeah, Gil." He answered.  
"Yeah, we talked. We're fine." He said after a moment looking down at me.  
I nodded and rested my head back on his chest.  
"Yeah. We can be there. Okay."  
He hung up the phone and rubbed my back.  
"They think that Professor Brown might be in danger. Gil wants me to stake out her place with JT." He told me.  
"I can drop you off with him." I assured him.  
"Gil wants you to meet him after dropping me off."  
I nodded thoughtfully.  
"We're going to get through this, Lily. You and me."  
"I know." I forced a smile at him.  
I drove Malcolm out to Elaine Brown's house and watched him climb into JT's car before setting off to find Gil back at the precinct.  
"You asked to see me." I sighed walking into his office.  
"I did. It wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked with a small smile.  
"No. We're okay. It's still going to take time. We can't just jump right back into a relationship. We're both different than we were then. I, for one, am much more damaged than I was then." I sighed.  
"Of course you aren't going to jump right back into a relationship, but you two were made for one another. You'll find your way back in your own time." He answered.  
I looked down at the ring that had spent a majority of the last eight and a half years on my right ring finger.  
Maybe Gil was right. There had to be a reason I'd never stopped wearing the ring Malcolm gave me on our second anniversary.  
"Gil, Lily!" Dani called rushing into the room.  
"Bright called and said that the killer's after Elaine but he got cut off. I think something's wrong." She told us.  
I looked at him.  
"Let's get out there." He said.  
Gil and Dani took Gil's car while I drove myself behind them.  
When we pulled up to the house it was eerily dark and quiet. I retrieved my service pistol from the glove box and exited the car. Neither Malcolm nor JT were in his car.  
"Lily take the front door, Dani and I will go around back."  
I nodded and made my way to the front of the house.  
The front door was slightly ajar allowing me to push it open with ease.  
Inside in the dim moonlight I could see JT standing with his back to me at the base of the stairs, Elaine Brown stood on the stairs holding a shotgun aimed at Malcolm who sat on his knees on the landing looking down at her.  
I caught his eye and he raised his hand signaling me to stand down.  
"Please. I can talk to her. Please, just wait." He asked me.  
I thought back to him wrestling around with Dani on the floor of the precinct in the throes of another night terror. JT didn't seem to have much faith in Malcolm's assurances and kept his pistol trained on Professor Brown. Cautiously I stepped forward until I stood at JT's side. I reached up and placed my hand on the muzzle of his gun.  
"Give him a chance." I whispered.  
He looked at me incredulously but lowered his gun slightly.  
"Elaine. Everything is okay now. He's dead. Just put the gun down. My best friend..." He gestured towards me.  
"She's a psychiatrist for the FBI. She'll be able to explain to the police that you were drugged. You aren't going to get in any trouble unless you shoot me. If you hurt me she can't help you."  
She looked at me and slowly lowered the shotgun.  
I sighed audibly as JT took Professor Brown out of the house.  
"Let me take you home?" I asked gently.  
He nodded wrapping his arm around me as we walked out to my car.  
After dropping Malcolm off at home I went home and walked into my study where I'd left The Surgeon's case files. I placed a hand on either side of the lid and opened the box.


	5. Designer Complicity

I woke up to my cellphone ringing surrounded by the copies of The Surgeon's case files I'd picked up from Ashlyn in Philadelphia. I'm not sure what it said about me that I could drift into dreamless sleep surrounded by those brutal words and images.  
"Malcolm?" I answered the phone.  
"Lily. I did something stupid and Gabrielle is not happy, to put it mildly. Can you come get me?" He asked.  
Gabrielle was Malcolm's therapist.  
"What did you do?" I countered.  
"So, when I was talking to Professor Brown she said that scents can unlock repressed memories." He said pretending to be innocent.  
"I could have told you that. What did you do, Malcolm?" I asked again.  
"The memory I'm trying to unlock is what happened directly after my father knocked me out with chloroform."  
I sighed.  
"Where did you even get chloroform?" I asked.  
"How did you know?" He feigned surprise.  
"Do not patronize me, Malcolm. I've known you for twenty one years."  
"It's not as hard as you'd think to order chloroform online." He explained.  
"I should hit you." I sighed again.  
"Will you come?" He asked.  
"Have I ever not?"  
I hung up the phone and got up to get dressed.  
I wore dark blue jeans with a dark red V neck tshirt, a black leather jacket and black steel toe boots.  
"What happened to your hand?" I asked when Malcolm opened my car door.  
"You look nice." Malcolm said climbing into the car.  
I turned to glare at him.  
"I'm serious, Malcolm. What happened?"  
"You're always so pretty when you're mad at me." He smiled at me.  
"I hate you. I hope you know that." I sighed.  
"No, you don't. While I was talking to Gabrielle I got stressed out and I shattered the water glass I was holding." He smiled again.  
"You really shouldn't mess with chloroform, Malcolm. You can't be sure you can trust what you saw. Did you clean it out?" I sighed again.  
"Of course I cleaned it out. I'm not completely insane. You don't even know what I saw." He countered.  
"That's my point. It doesn't matter what you saw. It's out of context."  
"So, you don't want to hear about it?"  
"Of course I want to hear about it. I'm just trying to keep you grounded."  
"I do have a hard time with that." He admitted.  
"I know. Now, tell me what you saw."  
"I was in the basement on a night my parents were going to a fundraiser. Mom was wearing a red dress when she found me. She yelled at me and grabbed my arm pulling me away from a trunk. She told me that my father's things were off limits and when I tried to tell her about the girl she said it didn't concern me." He explained.  
"Do you think she knew what he was doing?" He asked after I didn't respond.  
"I don't know. I know she loves you and Ainsley. I don't think she'd have knowingly let him kill twenty three people." I answered honestly.  
He sighed.  
"Maybe."  
I shook my head gently as my cellphone rang.  
"Yeah, Gil." I answered hitting the speaker phone.  
"Is Malcolm with you?" He asked.  
"I'm here." Malcolm answered himself.  
"I'm going to send you two the address for our new crime scene." Gil explained.  
"Sure. We'll be right there." I answered.  
"Tatiana Moore." JT explained as Malcolm and I walked into the large open space.  
"She was a model and a social media influencer and no I don't know what that is so don't ask." Gil added.  
I chuckled softly shaking my head.  
In the center of the room was a bath tub filled with blue water. The woman in the tub was also blue with gold glitter.  
"The killer clearly has an eye for detail and design." Malcolm said walking around the bathtub.  
"The scene mirrors an outdoor campaign TT did a while back." JT told us pulling up a picture on his phone and showing it to us.  
My phone rang and I looked down at the caller ID: Evan  
"I'm sorry. I have to take this." I excused myself from the scene.  
"Hello." I answered stepping out onto the sidewalk.  
"Have you heard from mom or dad?" He asked me as I started walking over to lean against my car.  
"No. Honestly, you'd hear from them before I would." I answered as Gil and Malcolm walked out of the apartment building.  
"Why?" I asked watching their interaction with what I assumed to be the victim's boyfriend.  
"They were supposed to call from Egypt yesterday and never did." He explained.  
"Evan, you know how they are. They probably just forgot." I sighed.  
"Maybe. Doesn't it feel like something's wrong?" He asked.  
"No. It feels like normal mom and dad shit. This is what they do. They did it when we were kids too. Disappear for days or weeks at a time with no word." I reminded him.  
"I know. Can you meet me for lunch?"  
"I don't know Evan. I'm at a crime scene right now."  
"They can't spare you for a couple hours?" He pressed.  
It wasn't like Evan to push me about my work.  
"Okay. Where?" I asked.  
"Willow?"  
"Okay. I can meet you in thirty." I sighed.  
Willow was a chain pasta restaurant with multiple locations in New York but there was one down the street from where Evan went to school at NYU that we'd meet at when he really wanted to talk.  
"What's wrong Evan?" I asked upon my arrival.  
"I'm not exactly sure. It just feels like someone's been following me." He admitted.  
"How long has this been going on?" I asked sipping the complimentary water that was on the table.  
"A couple days." He answered.  
I pondered this information for a moment.  
"So?" Evan pushed.  
"I don't know Evan. You're a college senior. You're under a lot of pressure. Maybe your just overreacting?" I suggested.  
I half expected him to get angry at the accusation but he thought on my words for a moment and sighed.  
"Maybe you're right. I don't know Lily. I just have this terrible feeling that something is wrong."  
"Stress can do that. I'm sure it doesn't help that you're constantly in the middle of the family arguments. You should be focusing on your schooling not on our shit." I sighed.  
"We both know they're wrong but we also both know they aren't going to change."  
"I wish it was easy to let it go. I wish I could tell you everything I've been through that they covered up or that I covered up so they wouldn't find out and blame me for it."   
"You can, Lily. You can tell me. I want you to tell me." He pushed.  
"No. you don't." I shook my head.  
"They love you and you love them and if I tell you everything it'll tarnish your view of them."  
"You're my sister. I'm here for you."  
"I know that." I looked into his grey/blue eyes that were the same as mine.  
"Mom knew that Bryce had a history of domestic violence before she introduced us. Gil found phone records and text messages between them where he tells her that he'd put other girlfriends in the hospital. When mom was pregnant with you they hired a nanny that took care of me for five years. During that five years she also molested me and when mom and dad found out they paid her off and we moved to New York. When I was fifteen and you were away with mom and dad in Europe I was attacked in the house and raped. I called Malcolm who called Gil who helped us gather evidence and get me treated while also buying a new set of matching sheets so mom and dad wouldn't find out what happened because after how they reacted to how I was abused before I couldn't handle being blamed for another attack that I had no control over." I explained to him.  
"You never told me any of that." He whispered.  
"I know. I've done everything I can for the entirety of the last twenty seven years to protect you from who they are with me. To protect you from what they've done or let happen to me."  
"But who protects you?" He asked.  
"For a long time, Malcolm did, then no one. Malcolm and I are trying to get back to where we were but that's going to take time. I only told him about Bryce last week."   
"I want to protect you."  
"I know you do. You did remember? When you bought that ring that looked so similar to mine so Bryce didn't find out I still wear the ring that the love of my life bought me?" I pointed out.  
"I didn't trust him. Even then. I felt like if I didn't make up the lie that he'd hurt you. Turns out he hurt you anyway." He sighed.  
"That's not on you. That's on him and that's on me. I should have left the first time he hit me and I didn't. That part is on me. I shouldn't have to believe that I was responsible for the abuse like mom says, but I also should have left long before it got as bad as it was."  
"How did we even get started on this?" He laughed.  
"God, I have no idea." I smiled at him.  
"I have to get to my next class but I'll call you later, okay?" He asked.  
"Of course. I should go check on the case."   
He paid for our meal and I drove him back to the school so he wouldn't be late for class and drove back to the precinct.  
"What is he doing?" I asked Gil when I walked into the viewing room where he was watching Malcolm and JT interview a suspect.  
"I believe he's demonstrating how annoying it is to have your picture constantly taken without your permission." He shrugged.  
"Naturally." I chuckled.  
"He's not the guy." Malcolm announced walking into the room after creepy photographer guy lawyered up.  
"He's a stalker but he's completely incompetent. He knew there was no way Tatiana could love him."   
"That's a little harsh there, Malcolm." I teased.  
He smiled at me.  
"Edrisa's report came in while you are with Rodger. Tatiana was strangled and there were no signs of defensive wounds on her hands or arms." Gil told us.  
"Go home guys. We'll pick this up in the morning."  
Malcolm followed Gil into his office while I packed up the files on the table.  
"Hey, Lily. Can I talk to you?" JT asked standing in the doorway.  
"Well, that depends. Are you going to make me want to kill you again?" I asked with a sigh motioning him in.  
"Actually, I want to apologize. That trick Bright used on the snake at the penthouse and just now with the photographer was pretty genius." He said sitting down across from me.  
"He is pretty genius most of the time. If you'd speak to him for more than five seconds with something other than judgment in your eyes maybe you'd know that." I smiled sadly at him.  
"It's hard hearing that someone you're going to be working with is the son of the worst serial killer in the United States." He sighed looking at me.  
"You have to understand that Malcolm has been through an extraordinary amount of stress and pain from the time he was eleven years old. He's managing it the best he can. He's a good man. His father's crimes shouldn't reflect negatively on him. That's not fair to him." I explained.  
He nodded.  
"I'm going to try to give him more credit." He promised.  
"He's just a man. He's quirky, sure, but he's just a man trying his best to distance himself from his father and his past. He doesn't need people pushing him into that box."  
"How long did you say you've know him?"  
"Twenty one years. I met him in the fall of 1998. We were ten almost eleven. It wasn't more than a month or two before his father was arrested."  
"That truly is lifelong friendship." He muttered.  
"She's stuck by me through a lot. On numerous occasions I've thought for sure she'd had enough of my shit but she always comes back. Even when I didn't deserve it." Malcolm smiled at me from the doorway.  
"Sometimes you're too hard on yourself." I reminded him.  
"That's true." He nodded.  
"However, most women wouldn't want anything to do with a man who walked out on them after five years but you showed up here, pulled me right back out of my head all over again." He remarked.  
"Wait just a minute. You two were a thing?" JT asked looking between us.  
Malcolm nodded.  
"We were." I answered.  
JT shook his head for a moment.  
"Dude, why would you leave a woman like this?" He looked back at Malcolm gesturing to me.  
"I have no idea." He admitted gazing at me.  
I dropped Malcolm off at home and returned to my loft to continue going through The Surgeon's case files.  
I went through the police reports from the night of his arrest what felt like a million times but couldn't find anything about the girl in the box except what Malcolm told Gil that night. There wasn't any marks on the floor in any of the photos that would indicate that there had been a large trunk there.  
I sighed out loud.  
I trusted Malcolm and if he said it was there and this girl existed then it was and she did but what happened to her and why was there no record of her. I racked my brain trying to remember him telling me anything about the girl but there was nothing there. If he told me I couldn't remember. It made me wonder if there might be some time that he was missing. I remember over Thanksgiving weekend he and his father went away but he never told me where or what happened and it was the first week of December that Dr. Whitly was arrested.  
I thought more about what Malcolm questioned about his mother's possible involvement in his father's crimes. Jessica could be cold but I couldn't see her as complicit in twenty three murders.  
I looked back through the interviews with Malcolm and Jessica as well as Martin and couldn't find anything that lead me to believe that she was in anyway involved. I, of course, didn't have the actual videos of the interviews, just the transcripts.  
"Lily." Gil called my name as I walked into the precinct the next morning.   
"Yeah, Gil."  
"Do you know that he thinks his mom was involved in his father's crimes?" He asked.  
"I do know that." I sighed.  
"What gave him that idea?"  
"Honestly, he's lost. He thinks he's lost a stretch of time and he can't remember what happened. He's just looking for answers."   
"He wants to watch Jessica's interview tape."  
"So, let him. Unless it show's something he shouldn't see? I've read the transcript and she sounds believable even on paper."  
"She thought he was having an affair." He sighed.  
"Let him see it. You know how he is. He'll obsess until he knows the truth.  
"Yeah, I know. Will you watch it with him?"  
"If he asks me to, yes. Malcolm is very much his own person." I sighed.  
"I know he is."  
"My profile is all wrong." Malcolm explained rushing into the room.  
"The killer isn't obsessed with Tatiana, he's obsessed with Axel. He's trying to please him."   
"Axel is?" I asked Gil quietly.  
"The boyfriend." He whispered back.  
Part of me truly hated being pulled in twenty different directions at the same time. Made it hard to follow the case I was supposed to be working.  
"I'm sure it's a member of Axel's entourage but I'm not sure who."  
"There's a launch party tonight." JT added.  
"We have to go." I could feel Malcolm's excitement.  
"No. We don't have any solid evidence." Gil answered.  
I looked at him and he looked at me and sighed.  
We both knew that Malcolm was going to go regardless and it was probably best to make sure he's safe.  
After much convincing, Gil allowed me to put a wire on Malcolm and send him into the club while I waited outside. I stood at the ready underneath an iron staircase in the back alley when Malcolm and Axel burst out of the door at the base of the stairs making their way into the alley.  
Not more than a minute later another man walked out of the club and up to Malcolm and Axel. I watched silently as Axel started to walk away from them.  
"If you leave me here with him you're an accessory." Malcolm called as Axel closed the club door.  
"Axel doesn't have anything to worry about." The man with his back to me said.  
"I always take care of his problems."  
"Like you took care of Tatiana?" Malcolm asked as I approached them with my pistol in front of me.  
"Yeah. I took care of her like I'm going to take care of you."  
"Well, unfortunately for you I have someone who takes care of my problems too."   
I pressed the barrel of my pistol against the back of his head.  
"Drop your weapon." I said steadily.  
Our killer, Joey, shook his head and dropped his gun. Dani, Gil, and JT ran up from the other side of the alley and we placed him under arrest.  
"Someone who takes care of your problems?" I teased Malcolm as I removed the wire from his chest.  
"It's been a long time since your hands have been there." He joked.  
I shook my head.  
"Bright? Let me drive you home tonight?" Gil called.  
Malcolm looked at me and I nodded at him.  
"I'm exhausted anyway, love." I told him.  
Gil looked at me from behind Malcolm and winked at me.  
I was glad Malcolm could get the answers he was looking for but his mother's interview wouldn't solve everything. It wouldn't tell him who the girl in the box was or what happened to her. There were still plenty of mysteries to solve surrounding his past and The Surgeon.  
"Yeah?" I answered my phone half asleep later that night.  
"Gil gave me the video tape of my mother's interview after my father's arrest. She thought he was having an affair. Her only concern the whole time was me and Ainsley." His voice broke with emotion.  
"Can you take me to find her?" He asked.  
"Of course I can. I'll be right there."  
Malcolm and I found Jessica at a homeless shelter she was helping build. I stayed in the car while Malcolm walked over to her. They talked for a moment before Jessica noticed me in my car and waved at me. I smiled and waved back. Finally, she touched his arm almost lovingly and walked to her awaiting car. I wanted desperately for her to hug him but sometimes you have to take what you can get.


	6. The Trip

I sat in an interrogation room in the FBI's New York field office in a white T-shirt and black zip up hoodie over a pair of dark blue jeans. When I got the call asking me to come down that morning I certainly wasn't expecting this.  
"Hello, Dr. Russell. I'm Supervisory Special Agent Jason Miller with the International Response Team." An older man introduced himself to me.  
I looked up at the man. He had nearly stark white hair and pale green eyes.  
"What exactly am I doing here?" I asked.  
He didn't speak to me just set four pictures down in front of me of badly burned bodies.  
"What is this?" I asked looking at the pictures.  
"Esme Pritchard was found in Colorado on April 25th." He said pushing the first picture towards me.  
I glanced up at him.  
"You know Mrs. Pritchard, don't you, Dr. Russell?" He asked aggressively.  
"Yes. I know that name." I answered.  
"Owen Woods was found here in New York on August 3rd." He pushed the second picture towards me.  
"I don't know who that is." I shook my head.  
"Yesterday the bodies of Todd and Stacy Russell were found in Cairo." He said looking at me pushing the last two pictures towards me.  
"Excuse me?" I asked looking up at him.  
"You know that I'm an FBI Special Agent and Criminal Psychiatrist. I've been very patient with you. Sure, accuse me of murdering the woman who molested me for five years. Alright, accuse me of murdering some guy I don't even know. Don't you dare accuse me of killing my own parents."  
"You don't seem terribly upset about your parents' murders." He sighed.  
"As I'm sure you already know in light of this show, my parent's and I have always had a strained relationship." I sighed.  
"Can you tell me where you were over the last week?" He asked.  
"Here in New York working with the NYPD. Lieutenant Gil Arroyo is my contact." I answered.  
"Is that all or am I under arrest? I have a brother who should hear about our parent's deaths from his sister not some stranger."  
"You're free to go for now, Dr. Russell." He said dismissively.  
I shook my head walking out to my car. I pulled out my phone and called Gil.  
"What is wrong with Bright?" He answered the phone.  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I sighed.  
"He just freaked out in the middle of a meeting with New York gangsters and almost got himself shot."  
"My best guess is micro-naps. He mentioned last night that he hasn't slept in nearly a week. His mind is shutting itself down periodically. The longer he goes without sleep the more micro-naps he'll take without even realizing it."  
"Aren't you supposed to be helping him with that?" He snapped.  
"He's a grown man and contrary to popular belief I don't control Malcolm Bright." I snapped back hanging up the phone.  
I drove out to NYU feeling more alone than before I called Gil. I wanted to reach out to Malcolm but with him struggling to sleep and now taking micro-naps I didn't want to burden him.  
Evan's eyes lit up when he saw me standing outside his classroom but then I saw the confusion spread across his features.  
"Lily." He said hugging me.  
"Hey, Evan. Come on. I need to talk to you."  
"Okay." He followed me out to my car where we sat next to each other on the hood.  
"I spent the morning at the FBI office. They found mom and dad's bodies in Cairo." I stated as gently as I could without beating around the bush.  
"Could they be wrong?" He asked not looking at me.  
"No, sweetheart. If they came straight to me they're sure."  
I could feel his pain and it killed me. Despite how they treated me, they were always good parents to him and I knew losing them was so hard for him.  
"What do we do?" He asked.  
"We'll have to plan the funeral and handle the rest of their affairs." I answered with a shrug.  
"How?" He asked.  
"How did they die?"  
"Babe, I don't know. I'll find out, okay? I promise." I assured him.  
He nodded.  
"Come back into the city with me?" I asked.  
"No. I have to finish my classes. I'll come down for the weekend." He told me.  
I nodded. Much like myself our parents instilled in him the importance of education and work ethic.  
"They were always so proud of you." I told him.  
"We didn't see eye to eye on much but we were all very proud of you. Don't feel bad if you need to take the rest of the afternoon."  
"I know, Lily. I love you."  
"I love you, Evan. I'm always here for you."  
He smiled sadly at me before walking off back towards the campus.  
I watched him walk away with tears in my eyes. Seeing him hurting hurt me more than losing my parents ever could.  
"Hello?" I answered my ringing phone.  
"Dr. Lilian Russell?" A female voice asked.  
"Yes?"  
"My name is Dakota Duran with the FBI." She explained.  
"I don't really feel like being accused of killing anymore people." I sighed getting back into my car.  
"Who's accusing you of killing anyone?"  
"Agent Jason Miller."  
"Miller didn't have all the facts this morning and I am truly sorry for that. I'd like for you to meet with me to take a look at some additional evidence we've finished processing."  
"Alright. I'm just now leaving NYU after informing my brother of our parents' deaths. I'll be in as soon as I can."  
"Thank you, Dr. Russell."  
As reluctant as I was, I drove straight back to the FBI field office from NYU. A younger blonde agent greeted me.  
"You must be Dr. Russell. I'm Dakota Duran, we spoke on the phone. If you'll follow me to my office I have some things you need to see."  
I followed her back to a small office in the back of the bullpen.  
"The IRT is new to the investigation since your parents' bodies were found in Egypt. After the three separate murders we received letters addressed to you here at the New York field office." She explained picking up a manila file folder up off of her desk.  
"Letters?" I asked.  
"Yes, confession letters. It appears that before they were burned alive each of the victims wrote letters confessing to the things that were apparently done to you. Esme Pritchard detailed the sexual abuse she subjected you to from December 1992 until April 1998; Owen Woods detailed a rape in 2003; and your parents detailed the cover up of the abuse when you were young and multiple other instances of severe neglect and essentially emotional abuse." She handed the folder to me.  
"I'm sorry. You said that the letters came after each of the murders but this is the first I'm hearing of it? Did no one find it important to at the very least inform me that someone is essentially stalking me?"  
"I'm not sure stalking is the right term." She countered.  
"Isn't it? Need I remind you that I've spent most of my adult life working very closely with a profiler? I know the different types of stalkers. This person has removed the people from the world who've caused me pain. It's a cry for attention especially coupled with the letters. It's a form of trying to impress or protect me. If they don't receive any kind of response from me they'll start trying to eliminate the people close to me who they see as obstacles in between them and me. This is something I needed to know back in April when you got the first letter. I have a brother. Friends. Who are now at risk and they don't even know it." I asserted thinking back to what my brother said when I'd sat down to lunch with him the week prior.  
"Shit." I glanced down at my phone as it rang: DANI POWELL  
"I have to take this." I sighed standing up.  
"Dani?" I answered the phone out in the hallway.  
"Lily? Bright followed me to a night club ran by one of the suspects in this case and there was a fire fight and a large stash of drugs exploded all over him." She explained in a rush.  
"So, essentially you're telling me he's high? Where are you?" I asked.  
"I'm taking him home." She told me.  
"I'll be right there." I sighed hanging up my phone.  
I drove straight out to Malcolm's apartment, arriving at the same time as they did. I followed Dani and Malcolm into his apartment without either of them noticing me.  
"The best thing to do for the next seven or eight hours is stay calm and drink lots of water." Dani said calmly.  
"OR WE THROW AXES!" Malcolm exclaimed happily leaping up onto the back of his couch.  
"What?" She asked as I chuckled quietly in the corner of the room.  
"You and me. Broad bladed axes. I have five... No I have six... Doesn't matter we have plenty."  
"No." Dani insisted.  
Malcolm ran over and turned on his record player.  
"WOW! GOD! THIS FEELING... MY NEURONS ARE ON FIRE! You know people say that dopamine triggers pleasure but really it's about desire!" He took Dani's hand, holding her to him.  
"Wanna dance?"  
"Bright... I am two seconds away from kicking you in the business."  
"Business is good! Answer me this though..."  
She looked at him expectantly.  
"No. Lost it. Oh. My short term memory is just..."  
"Okay. Why don't you go throw water on your face and I'll make you something to eat?"  
"Right. Right. Let's make... crumble!" He exclaimed rushing passed her.  
"Grilled cheese?" She suggested finally noticing me.  
"You know what? I will never forget this." He said turning back to look at her.  
"I'm pretty sure you will." She sighed.  
"Thank you. For taking care of me." He said genuinely.  
"What are friends for?" She asked sliding the water over to him glaring at me.  
"Wait? We're friends? Really?" He asked her and my heart broke for him.  
"No... Not... Uh... Not really... Or not yet." She back tracked and even from behind him I could see his mood fall.  
Her eyes found mine looking for help as he sat down.  
"I'm out of practice with friends... With companionship." He sighed.  
"It's alright. I... I don't have a lot of friends either. I've got issues with trust. I just can't go there anymore."  
"You can trust me." He said softly.  
"What about Lily?" She asked him.  
"I love Lily with everything I have but I screwed it up. Again. I'm not very good with friends..."  
"Hey." I said softly touching his shoulder.  
"Lily!" He leaped up and wrapped his arms around me.  
"Hey, babe." I sighed hugging him.  
"Something's wrong." He noted pulling slightly away from me but still holding me.  
"Let's get you fed and feeling better and we'll talk, okay?" I asked.  
He nodded.  
"Go and clean up. We'll start dinner."   
He nodded and set off into the bathroom.  
"Is he right? Is something wrong?" Dani asked helping me work on making grilled cheeses.  
"Of course he is. He knows me." I sighed.  
"What happened?" She asked.  
"I found out this morning that my parents were murdered in Cairo. Burned alive."  
"Oh my God! Lily!" She exclaimed.  
"I had to tell my brother. I called to tell Gil but..." I shook my head.  
"I heard him snap at you about Bright." She said softly.  
"Malcolm is important to both of us. We're both very passionate and sometimes, like when I need to tell him that my parents were murdered, it leads to... frustrations." I sighed.  
Malcolm pushed out of the bathroom; his demeanor completely different.  
"Bright? Are you okay?" Dani asked.  
I watched him carefully for a long moment.  
"Malcolm? What do you see?" I asked.  
"It's the box, Lily. It's the box with the girl in it." He explained quietly.  
"Honey, listen to my voice. You're safe, Malcolm." I said gently in an attempt to calm him.  
I watched his head wrench back and he got up and ran into the bathroom slamming the door behind him.  
"Should we worry?" Dani asked.  
I shrugged looking at the bathroom door.  
"You have to understand that Malcolm's mind runs about ten times faster than say a 'normal' person's does, and being high seems to strip away his filter."  
"You mean he often is thinking about throwing axes?" She asked.  
I laughed.  
"Not necessarily. I know that everything he said talking to you was the truth. Malcolm doesn't lie unless it's necessary but with his mind as open as it is right now, I don't think he's actually capable of it. When he was running around the apartment, that's how his mind runs all the time."  
Dani and I heard Malcolm scream and ran towards the door. Dani was in the room first. Malcolm was sitting against the wall in the shower screaming and thrashing around. Dani attempted to calm him before finally punching him in the face.  
"Dani!" I exclaimed.  
"Sorry! I panicked." She said.  
"Help me get him to bed and we'll have grilled cheese." I sighed.  
After tucking Malcolm into bed Dani and I sat at the counter eating grilled cheese.  
"Do you know what he sees when he gets like that?" She asked me.  
"No. It's almost always different. They weren't this bad before he left. I don't know when they got like this."  
"Was it hard? Being with him?"  
"Not anymore than anyone else. Everyone has their quirks."  
"It wasn't hard sleeping next to him with the nightmares?"  
"Like I said, they weren't this bad back then and you saw how he reacts when I touch him. He used to say he sleeps better when I'm with him."  
"How did you meet exactly?"  
"We were ten. Just started our fifth grade year. I was the new kid and children here in New York can be cruel. Malcolm has always been quirky but in the fall of 1998 the name Whitly commanded respect. He stood up for me. Crazy, right? We were almost inseparable for the three months before his father's arrest. It really messed him up. He went completely mute for months. I came into the classroom after our winter vacation and Lucas Waller had him pinned in the corner of the room his forearm pressed into Malcolm's throat. I walked right over to them and grabbed Lucas' shoulder spinning him around and punched him in the face. I was suspended for three days but no one messed with him anymore."  
Dani looked at me her mouth agape.  
"We've been best friends ever since."  
A couple hours later I was sitting in a reclining chair I moved over next to Malcolm's bed watching him sleep. Dani had fallen asleep on the counter even though I tried to convince her to take the couch. I knew that I should try to sleep but I couldn't. I wanted to cry but I couldn't.  
"No one will ever love you like I do"  
"You're special"  
"This is our little secret"  
"If anyone finds out no one will ever like you or ever talk to you again."  
Esme Pritchard's voice played in my head. The things she'd tell me when she'd hurt me.  
"You look pensive." Malcolm whispered from the bed drawing me out of my mind.  
"You could say that." I sighed focusing on him.  
He was laying on his back with his head turned towards me; his sheet laying over his chest. He looked like home. I realized in that moment just how much I missed being in his arms.  
"What's going on?"  
"My parents were murdered in Egypt. I spent the morning essentially being accused of a total of four murders. I had to tell my brother that our parents are dead. Another agent from the FBI called me back in to show me letters from the killer to me that the first agent didn't know about. They killed my abuser from when I was young and the guy that raped me when we were fifteen." I rambled.  
Malcolm sat up and reached for me. I moved over into his bed and let him pull me into his arms as he leaned against his headboard.  
"What if he's starting with the people that hurt me and moves up to the people close to me? You, Evan..." I shuddered and he tightened his arms around me.  
"Evan and I are going to be fine." He assured me.  
"Evan told me last week that he thought someone's following him."  
"Have you talked to Gil?"  
"No. I called but we argued and I didn't even tell him. I'm sure Agent Miller called him to check my alibi." I sighed.  
He shook his head.  
"What did you see last night?" I asked looking up at him.  
"The box from my father's study rolling down the stairs, then the body under the tarp reached out and grabbed my face pulling my head back. I ran into the bathroom but that isn't where I ended up. I was in my father's cell but it wasn't him; it was me. I think it was my subconscious because he screamed at me to stop ignoring him. He told me this box I hid under my bed after my father was arrested would help me find answers. Then he stabbed me in the chest."   
"That must be when Dani punched you in the face." I nodded.  
"Well, it worked. I slept five hours. I've only slept better next to you."  
I shook my head with a sigh.  
"We should see if that box is still at your mother's house."  
"Yeah, after Dani wakes up." He nodded.  
"Of course."  
"Did you sleep?" He asked me.  
I just shook my head.  
"Will you at least rest here with me?"  
I nodded resting my head back onto his shoulder.I listened to the quick but steady beat of his heart as his hand gently rubbed my back.  
I woke later curled on my side alone in his bed. I looked up and found him standing at the kitchen counter watching me.  
"Did she leave?" I asked.  
"Yeah. Went home to change so she can go into the precinct."  
"Come here." I urged sitting up.  
He walked over to the bed and sat down next to me almost a mirror of the way I sat when he gave me the key to the apartment.  
I reached out and took his hand and looked at him.  
There were a hundred things I wanted to say to him and none that I knew how to say.  
"Take me to get the box?" He asked.  
I nodded his hand still in mine.  
I drove him out to his mother's home.  
"Mother! I'm back." He called walking into the house.  
I shook my head following him.  
"Don't worry I'm not here for your barbiturates."  
"I have company, dear." She said when we walked into the dining room.  
"Hello, Lily." She smiled at me.  
"Hello, Jessica."  
"Malcolm, Lily. This is Eve Blanchard." She made the introductions.  
"Malcolm is my son and Lily has been in our lives a long time."  
"She's my best friend." He said looking at me for a long moment.  
"Eve is a lawyer working with an anti trafficking organization I've decided to donate to."  
The blonde woman sitting next to Jessica stood up to greet us.  
"Dr. Lilian Russell." I smiled shaking her hand.  
"Malcolm Bright." Malcolm shook her hand as well.  
"Russell, as in Todd and Stacy Russell?" She asked me her eyes still on Malcolm.  
"Yes." I nodded, my chest felt tight.  
I wasn't used to feeling jealous but I was familiar with how it felt.  
"I was very sorry to hear about your parents this morning." She told me.  
"Thank you." I sighed as Malcolm touched my back.  
I noticed Eve's eyes zero in on the contact between us.  
"Lily?" Jessica said my name.  
"Forgive me." I shook my head.  
"My parents were murdered in Cairo last week. I got the news yesterday morning." I explained.  
"Oh, Lily. I'm so sorry." Jessica walked over and hugged me.  
"Thank you, Jessica." I hugged her.  
"Was there a reason for your visit, dear?" She turned her attention back to Malcolm.  
"Oh, yes. There's a box upstairs with some old things, pictures and what not that I'd like to get." He explained.  
"A large amount of drugs exploded in my face last night and it gave me a breakthrough of sorts."  
"Sweetheart." I sighed.  
"Sorry." He looked at me.  
"If there was a shoebox with mementos of your father it went up the chimney with everything else." She sighed.  
"I never said it was a shoebox."  
"Whatever kind of box it was."  
Malcolm's phone rang.  
"It's Dani." He told me.  
"Let's go." I told him.  
"Thank you, Jessica. It was a pleasure, Ms. Blanchard." I followed him out of the room.  
"Dani wants me to meet her for a stake out."  
"I'll drop you off then I should go talk to Gil." I told him.  
"I remember when Gil used to take you out on stakeouts when we were younger."  
"It helped with the night terrors, honestly. Before I learned how nice it was sleeping next to you." He smiled at me as I pulled up behind Dani's car.  
"I got your father's case files." I told him.  
"When?" He asked.  
"A couple weeks ago. Before I cut myself the last time. I should have told you before but..." I started but he cut me off pressing his lips to mine.  
"What was that for?" I asked when he pulled away from me.  
"Thank you. For believing me." He kissed me again.  
"Can I come over tonight and look through them?"  
"Of course. I'll meet you back at the precinct. Don't die." I teased.  
"I'll see you soon."  
I watched him walk over to Dani's car before driving to the precinct.  
I walked straight into Gil's office.  
"Lily. Why didn't you tell me?" He asked as I sat on the couch.  
"To be fair I called to tell you." I told him.  
"That's why you called. Now I feel like an ass." He said walking over to sit next to me.  
"He lit them on fire. Burned alive. How does someone do that?" I asked.  
We had an incredibly strained relationship but they were still my parents and now they're dead.  
"We're going to find the person who did this. I promise you." He told me.  
"I'm not very good at asking for help." I sighed.  
"Oh I know. That's why we won't be waiting for you to ask for help." He smiled at me.  
I didn't notice Malcolm walk into the room until his hands were on my shoulders gently pulling me towards his chest. I broke as he held me tightly.


	7. All Souls and Sadists

"Malcolm, what are you looking at?" I asked sleepily sitting up in bed.  
"This picture that was in the shoebox we'd gone to my mother's for." He told me looking over his shoulder.  
"She found the box?" I asked sitting up.  
"Yeah." He sighed.  
"Can I see it?" I crawled over the bed towards where he sat.  
"I don't remember it." He muttered handing me the picture.  
In it, a nearly eleven year old Malcolm stood next to his father in the middle of a forest in front of an old, ugly station wagon.  
"I don't remember this car."  
"Neither do I." He looked over at me.  
"I need to find it, Lily. Help me."  
"Of course." I took his hand in mine.  
"You know I'm in this. I'm going to help you find out what happened."  
"I found a station wagon that looks like it might be the one in a used car dealership in town." He said softly.  
"Let's go."  
Malcolm put on the suit he was wearing when he'd come over the night before and I changed into a new pair of jeans and a blue/black blouse.  
"Are you sure you don't want to stop by your apartment and change?" I asked.  
"I'm sure. I just want to see if this is the one." He sighed looking out my car window at the rain.  
I parked in the dealership parking lot.  
"If you want you can wait here." He said climbing out of the car.  
I sighed and followed him towards the station wagon.  
"I told you, you pain in my ass. I'm in this. All the way." I hissed resisting the urge to hit him in the back of the head.  
He looked at me seemingly bewildered.  
"After everything I've done?"  
"Malcolm. We've talked about it. You're sleeping in my bed. I've put it behind me. I want to move forward with you but we can't do that until you put it behind you too."  
"You're right, Lily. I'm sorry." He turned to look at me taking my hands.  
"I want to move forward too. Let me take you out on a real date." He smiled at me.  
"I'd like that. A lot." I smiled back at him.  
We walked hand in hand over to the car.  
"This one's perfect for families. Plenty of room for camping supplies or a big kill." The car salesmen said from behind us.  
"For hunting, of course." He amended when we turned to look at him  
Malcolm walked forward without a word and opened the back of the vehicle.  
"This isn't the one." He told me with a sigh.  
"We're looking for one with two tether anchors in the back to chain someone to."  
"Don't worry." He turned to the salesmen who stared at us.  
"We're with the police. Sort of."   
"I'm an FBI agent." I added turning back to Malcolm.  
"We'll find it." I assured him rubbing his arm.  
He nodded sadly.  
"Yeah, Gil." I answered my ringing phone.  
"I've got a really bad case." He told me.  
"What's up?" I asked looking over at Malcolm.  
"Gavin Parker was stabbed over a hundred times in Central Park. Just in time for Halloween." Gil sighed.  
I glanced at the clock.  
"I can drop Malcolm off but I have to meet Evan at the funeral home. We got the bodies back. They arrived at the funeral home yesterday so we're making the arrangements today." I told him as Malcolm reached over and took my hand.  
"Okay. Drop off Malcolm. You call one of us if you need anything." He insisted.  
"Of course. Send me the address and I'll drop him off."  
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Malcolm asked me as I pulled into the park's parking lot.  
"I won't be alone. I'll be with Evan. I'll call if I need you." I smiled at him.  
"You said you and Evan are not on the best of terms."  
"No. We aren't. I don't know why I didn't realize losing our parents would drive a wedge between us."  
"You two will work it out. Don't worry. He's just grieving."  
He kissed my forehead before climbing out of the car.  
Gil showed up at the top of the hill in front of where I parked and waved at me. It almost felt like exchanging the custody of a kid but my God, I was terrified that whoever killed my parents and abusers would come after him or Evan. At least Malcolm didn't argue when it came to his protection. My brother was much less agreeable.  
"Lily." My brother's greeting was much colder than normal when I walked into the funeral home.  
We'd been at odds since our parents' deaths. He wasn't fond of the idea of a plain clothed officer keeping an eye on him.  
"Did they discuss any of their wishes with you?" I asked.  
"Now, we're concerned about someone else's wishes." He shot at me.  
"I get it, Evan. I do. You blame me for what happened and that's fine. You blame me because you're in danger and that's fine too. That seems to run in the family. I just don't want you pissed off at me because mom and dad don't get what they want in the giant funeral we have to plan." I shot back.  
"Lily..." He started.  
"No. Evan, no. I put up with this shit for thirty two years from them. They blamed me for everything that happened. Everything that happened to you. Everything that happened to me. Everything that you did. Everything. So, if you want to blame me, fine but don't expect me to stick around." I cut him off.  
"I'm going to place an order for the most expensive casket you have times two and the most expensive funeral you can arrange and if my brother has a problem with any of it he can change it. Send me the bill." I told the funeral director.  
"There are three caskets that run just under four grand." He told me.  
"Which is your favorite?" I asked.  
"The Lancaster Solid Mahogany Hardwood." He smiled at me.  
"Perfect. Two of those." I smiled back at him.  
"The bodies already came in and I hate to say it but it honestly doesn't matter what they wear or if they wear anything at all." He said looking between us.  
"Yes, I'm aware. Cover the ceremony with Statice; meaning remembrance, sympathy, and success. They'd love that. I'm sure they have plenty of big strong friends to carry the caskets. As far as I knew they weren't religious so we'll rent a space near the cemetery to hold the funeral, unless of course there's something you'd like to add?" I asked in the direction of my brother.  
"No, Lily. You're right."  
I left the funeral home without another word to Evan.  
He didn't even bother to chase after me.  
"If he tells you to go then go." I told the plain clothed officer waiting outside for him.  
"Are you sure, Dr. Russell?" He asked me.  
"No. He's pissed at me because he thinks it's my fault that our parents are being buried this weekend." I smiled at the officer.  
"I'm going home. If he dismisses you, give me a call."  
I got home and changed into a pair of grey oversized sweatpants and a white long sleeved cotton shirt.  
I hated fighting with Evan. It didn't happen often and while I understood his frustrations, it wasn't like I told this guy to kill them. It wasn't like I wanted someone to hurt him.  
I was yanked from my thoughts by my phone ringing.  
"Ainsley?" I answered.  
"Is everything okay?"  
"Physically, yes. You need to talk to Malcolm." She said clearly agitated.  
"What happened?" I asked.  
"I want to interview my dad but he and our mother are firmly against it." She told me.  
"Of course they are. They've worked very hard to protect you." I sighed.  
"This will be huge for my career. 'The Surgeon: Twenty Years Later' I don't even know him. I only know what they've told me. I'm an adult, Lily. I should be able to make my own choices. She acts like I'm still five years old and Malcolm... Malcolm just froze at the idea."  
"He's worried. He has a lot of anxiety surrounding your father and for good reason." I answered.  
"You're the only one who can convince him that I can do this." She practically begged me.  
"I'll talk to him but I'm not promising to convince him. To be completely honest, I agree with him but I know you and I know you'll find a way to do it anyway."  
"Thank you, Lily." She said a smile in her voice.  
I sighed again as she hung up and my doorbell rang. I walked over and answered the door. Malcolm stood on my doorstep holding a bouquet of four orange lilies, four red roses, and four orange roses.  
"Hey." He smiled at me.  
"Hi there." I smiled back stepping aside so he could come in.  
"These are for you." He handed me the flowers.  
"They're beautiful." I smiled smelling the flowers.  
Malcolm followed me into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase.  
"Your sister called." I told him.  
"She told you her crazy idea?" He asked leaning against the counter.  
"She did. She wants me to talk to you."  
"It's not fair to call my girlfriend to try and convince me that this is a good idea."  
"Your girlfriend?" I teased as his cheeks turned bright red.  
I walked over and set my hands on his hips looking up at him.  
"Is that okay?" He asked barely meeting my eye.  
"Look at me." I urged and he did.  
"Is that what you want?" I asked him.  
"Of course it is." He answered.  
"Is it what you want?"  
"Yes. It is what I want."  
He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I moved my arms to wrap around his neck as he lifted me up into his arms still kissing me. I opened my eyes to his as he set me back on my feet. He took off his suit jacket before wrapping his arms around me again his fingertips sliding beneath the hem of my shirt leaving trails of fire in their wake as he pulled me closer, his lips pressing against the skin behind my ear. I tilted my head to expose my neck to him. He pressed his palms against the skin of my back.  
I sighed when his lips hit the sweet spot on my neck. I felt the smile spread across his face before he dragged his tongue across that spot on my neck. Carefully, slowly I began unbuttoning his white shirt. He started pushing me towards the stairs that lead up to my bedroom. I got his shirt off about halfway up the stairs leaving it in our wake.   
He pulled my shirt up over my head before kissing my lips again pulling me into my bedroom and spinning me around to lay me down on my bed. He pulled his belt off standing in front of me. I sat back up and removed my bra. He sat down on my bed and worked to pull his shoes off as I wrapped myself around him kissing his neck.  
"Lily..." He muttered my name reaching up to run his fingers through my hair.  
"Malcolm." I said his name nibbling on his earlobe.  
My hands slid off his body as he turned back around to me. I unbuttoned his pants and we worked together to remove the rest of each other's clothes so he could slide into me.  
I gasped gripping onto his shoulders. His touch set fire to my soul as we made love. He was the only person in the world who could do that to me. He was the love of my life. My soulmate.  
I could feel his heartbeat against my hip and his warm breath came slowly over my chest as I ran my fingers through his hair.  
"That feels good." He muttered moving closer to me.  
"Yeah?" I sighed kissing the top of his head.  
"How's the case going?" I asked after a comfortable silence.  
"The victim had a kid. He's twelve." He told me.  
I sighed thinking back to when his father was arrested.  
"You talked to him?" I asked.  
"I did. I told him everything would be okay. Gave him a sucker."  
I smiled thinking about how many times he talked about how important Gil's kindness was for him.  
"I'm supposed to visit this gym this morning. This guy has been sleeping with the victim's wife. I think he might be a sadist." He muttered.  
"Interesting. I'd love to tag along."  
"I knew you'd say that." He looked up and smiled at me.  
"Well, someone has to make sure you don't get yourself killed."  
"Is that so?"  
"Should I list the ways you've put your own life in danger since returning to New York in alphabetical or chronological order?" I asked.  
"No. No. There's no need for that. Of course you're invited."  
When we got to the gym I hung back until Malcolm engaged Jake. I walked in as Malcolm removed his jacket and squared up against Jake.   
"This time I'll come to you." Jake said.  
I shook my head knowingly as he advanced towards Malcolm. Malcolm blocked his advances and struck him in the nose.  
"Ah! What the fuck?" He yelled.  
"Sorry. I thought we were going for maximum aggression." Malcolm feigned ignorance.  
I watched Jake run up behind him and kick him in the back of the leg putting him in a classic submission hold. I shook my head again walking up behind Jake and wrapping my forearm around Jake's throat.  
"Krav Maga isn't about maximum aggression; it's about control. Cheep shots are the opposite of what Krav Maga is about." I hissed in his ear.  
"I got what I needed, Lil. Thanks babe." Malcolm said from the floor.  
I pushed Jake away from me.  
"Who the hell are you?" He spit at me.  
"Dr. Lilian Russell with the FBI." I smirked at him.  
"Lieutenant Gil Arroyo, NYPD." Gil said from behind me.  
I walked over and helped Malcolm to his feet.  
"Ya know, a few months ago Gavin told Crystal he wanted custody of Isaac and it really pissed her off. She came in here fuming and I taught her how to use that anger in a more constructive way." He explained to Gil.  
"Thank you. We'll be in touch." Gil said glancing down at his phone.  
"Dani and JT just arrested Crystal at the crime scene and found a bloody sweatshirt." He told us.  
"She doesn't fit the profile, Gil." Malcolm sighed.  
"Is he always right?" Gil asked me.  
"Of course not. Profiles change all the time but..."  
"Exactly. Look, Bright. I get that there's a kid involved who is almost the same age you were but it's clouding your judgement." He cut me off and walked away.  
"I'm not wrong, Lily." He told me also walking away.  
I shook my head and sighed. I didn't think he was wrong but I didn't know the case either. I wasn't able to be there at the crime scene or throughout the rest of the investigation.  
I drove alone back to the precinct to find Malcolm storming away from the building.  
"What are you doing?" I asked pulling up beside him.  
"I'm going to see Gabrielle." He told me.  
"Let me drive you." I sighed.  
He looked over at me before climbing into the car.  
"I'll wait." I sighed as I pulled up outside Gabrielle's office.  
"Thank you." He grumbled.  
I pulled out my phone to go over the case file Gil sent me.  
Reading over the details I could see what Malcolm was referring to. Crystal didn't fit the profile of someone who would stab anyone, let alone her husband, over a hundred times.  
"I think I've got it!" Malcolm exclaimed climbing back into the car.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Can we go back to Crystal and Isaac's?" He asked.  
"Sure." I answered.  
"I really hope I'm wrong." He muttered.  
We pulled up outside the house and Malcolm lead me around the back towards a hutch.  
"There were rabbits in here." He told me looking around the yard.  
His gaze stopped on the area behind me near the shed. I turned and found the ground behind the shed clearly disturbed.  
Malcolm dug frantically in the dirt pulling up the bodies of multiple rabbits.  
"God, Malcolm." I gasped looking at him.  
He looked at me sadly.  
"I wanted so badly to be wrong."  
We drove back to the precinct and Malcolm ran in with a bag full of dead bunnies.  
I knew this was killing him. I got out of the car and walked up into the precinct.   
"We've got a problem." Gil said walking up to me.  
"Isaac is back at the house with Jake." Malcolm said running back towards me.  
"Let's go."  
We pulled up outside the house. Gil and I lead with Malcolm behind us and Dani and JT behind him.  
Inside we found Jake unconscious on the floor of the dining room bleeding heavily from deep lacerations in his Achilles.  
"He's alive." Dani said kneeling next to him.  
"I talked to Isaac on the phone. I told him to hide upstairs. Give me two minutes. I can talk to him, give me two minutes." He looked between me and Gil.  
"If you go, I go." I told him.  
He nodded and Gil agreed.  
Malcolm walked up the stairs a step ahead of me, keeping himself between me and the young killer much like he had in his father's cell.  
"Isaac? Are you up here?" Malcolm called into the upstairs.  
Isaac sniffled in the bedroom down the hallway. As I looked over his shoulder I could see the knife glint in his hand.  
"Can you put the knife down for me?"  
"No. You lied to me. Who is she?" Isaac yelled raising the knife at us.  
I gripped ahold of Malcolm's arm. He touched my hand reassuringly.  
"This is my girlfriend, Lily. She's a doctor and she wants to help. Isaac? You made a bad choice. You can't hurt people like this. But there's time for you. You can still change." He assured him stepping slowly forward.  
"Are you gonna put me in jail?"  
"You need to go to a special hospital where they can help you." Malcolm said softly.  
"They don't understand me. Nobody does."  
"I do. When my dad was taken from me, I didn't talk for months. My feelings were so big and strong that they shut me down. Almost turned me off completely. I know what it's like to not be okay. To feel that something inside is broken. Do you know that feeling?"  
My heart broke for him all over again. I'd been there when he'd shut down like that but hearing him say it out loud was like a knife in my heart.  
"I'll always be broken, won't I?"  
"No. No, that's not true. Look at me. I got help. From my friends, my doctors, a cop who's here right now, Lily. Lily was my best friend then and she's my best friend now. I wouldn't have made it without them."  
Malcolm knelt in front of Isaac as I stood in the doorway.  
"Can I see my mom?"  
"Yes. She loves you so much. And she'll always be there for you. I promise. Believe me? Can you give me the knife?"  
Shakily Isaac handed the knife to Malcolm who passed it effortlessly to me.  
I let out the breath that I was unknowingly holding and followed them back downstairs where Gil took Isaac into custody.  
Malcolm and I left early for my parent's funeral that Saturday morning so we could swing by the precinct.  
"The judge for Isaac's case cleared his admission to Gardner Psychiatric. I told them to add me to the permanent visitors list." Malcolm said as we entered Gil's office.  
"Good for you. Hopefully, they can help him."  
I noticed Gil was in a black suit not unlike Malcolm's.  
"What is it?" Gil asked him.  
"Uh, it's just after everything I went through as a kid, sometimes I wonder if I could've turned into someone like Isaac." Malcolm admitted.  
"Not on my watch." Gil smiled at us.  
"Right. Are we ready to go?" Malcolm sighed.  
Before I could answer Gil stood up.  
"Dani's just finishing getting ready." He smiled at me.  
"You didn't think we'd have you go through this without our support, did you?" He hugged me.  
Malcolm squeezed my hand as I looked towards the door where JT, Dani, and Edrisa stood dressed in black.  
"You guys don't have to do this. You didn't know them."  
"No, but we know you." Dani said.  
"And we've got you." JT added.  
I hadn't even thought to ask them. I was so accustomed to doing things on my own.  
"Thank you." I looked around at each one of them.  
"Truly. Thank you."  
Malcolm hugged me to his side then the six of us left together for the funeral.


	8. Q & A

"What exactly are we looking for here?" I asked following Malcolm through the multiple lines of cars in the junkyard.  
"Dani traced the station wagon from the picture to this junkyard." He explained.  
"And why did we have to come in the middle of the night?"  
"Well... I don't actually know. Seemed like a good idea until right now." He answered.  
I held my pistol loosely in my right hand with the safety still on as we continued walking through the junkyard. Suddenly, Malcolm froze in front of a tarp covered vehicle. I walked towards the car and pulled the tarp off.  
Malcolm touched my arm gently as if asking for strength as he walked over to the rear of the car. I followed closely behind him and stood behind him as he swung the back door open. Inside there were metal tether rings in the floor of the trunk. Malcolm looked over at me silently before pulling out his black light exposing a large amount of blood that once covered the trunk of the station wagon.  
"Malcolm..." I said his name cautiously as I watched the black light bounce violently in his trembling hand.  
"Malcolm, we need to call Gil."  
He nodded silently. I pulled out my cellphone as we heard a crash somewhere in the junkyard. Instinctively, Malcolm tried to push me behind him.  
"I'm the one that carries a gun." I hissed at him.  
Malcolm and I walked side by side into the aisle.  
"Excuse me?" Malcolm called at the clear shadow of a man at the opposite end of the yard.  
"Is this your junkyard?"  
I barely heard the explosion of gunshots before a bullet grazed against my arm. I pushed hard against Malcolm returning fire as I followed him back behind the car. As I pressed my back against the wheel well of the car the junkyard became eerily silent.  
"Call Gil." I told Malcolm as I looked around the car to find the aisle empty.  
Without a look back at Malcolm I pushed myself up as instinct kicked in causing me to run after the shadow man.  
I reached the end of the aisle in time to see the back of our assailant turn another corner to my left.  
"FBI! Freeze!" I called running after him again.  
I reached the end of the next aisle and the suspect fired back at me again forcing me to crouch behind another car. When the shooting stopped I pursued him again. I reached the gate in time to see a late model Oldsmobile peel away from me.  
I took a chance and fired a single bullet at the back of the car and watched the back windshield explode but he didn't stop and his tail lights faded into the distance.  
"Late model Oldsmobile, grey, maybe beige or brown. I shattered the back windshield out. License plate: 6BQ-971." I told Gil as the paramedic bandaged my upper arm.  
"You're sure about the plate?" He asked.  
"Of course I'm sure." I sighed.  
"I'm sorry, Lily. I don't mean to question you. I just know that I don't always see things clearly when I'm in situations like that." He smiled reassuringly at me.  
I nodded.  
"She's good, Lieutenant. It's just a graze. It'll scab over in no time." Paramedic Jamie Stephens told him.  
"Thank you, Ms. Stephens." He told her.  
"Let's go see what Edrisa found." Gil said gently.  
"You're hurt." Malcolm whispered as I took my place beside him.  
"I'm okay." I assured him touching his arm.  
"Umm... Is that a pizza peel?" I asked looking at Edrisa.  
"It is. Perfect for recovering soft tissue." She smiled at me.  
"Perfect..." I muttered shaking my head.  
"We found another one." Jacob Sutton said walking towards the car we stood around.  
"Another what?" Gil asked.  
"Another body." He said.  
I looked over at Malcolm who stood stiffly next to me. I touched the back of his hand gently causing him to look at me.  
"Search the whole yard. Everywhere." Gil told Jacob.  
I sighed as my phone rang.  
"Yes?" I answered.  
"Lily. Please. I just want to talk." My brother sighed.  
"It's not a good time, Evan."  
"Please, Lily? Ten minutes?"  
"I'm at a crime scene. Go to the station and wait for me there." I sighed looking up at Malcolm and hanging up my phone.  
"Is he okay?" Malcolm asked.  
"Honestly, I have no idea." I sighed.  
When we arrived back at the precinct Evan was waiting for me in one of the conference rooms.  
"What is so urgent?" I asked walking into the room.  
"Lily. I told you that I thought someone was following me?"  
"I recall." I sighed.  
"I found this this morning." He handed me a piece of paper.  
I'M GOING TO BURN YOU ALIVE JUST LIKE YOUR WRETCHED PARENTS  
I sighed rubbing my forehead.  
"I'll take it to Gil. Send it to the lab but you need to go back into protection."  
"Yeah. Okay, Lily. Yeah." He agreed.  
"You sure you're not going to throw another hissy fit. I don't need it Evan. I really don't. This is serious."  
"Yeah, Lily. I'm sure."  
I showed Gil the note.  
"Who knew that they were burned alive?" He asked.  
"The usual suspects. The FBI, NYPD, my brother and I, the funeral director." I rambled.  
"We'll keep him safe, Lily. We'll keep you both safe." He assured me.  
"I know, Gil. I know. I have to take care of this. Get him under some protection. I'll be back as soon as I can."  
"Take your time, Lily. We'll be alright." He assured me.  
"Howard Rowland." A deep male voice answered my phone call.  
"Howard. It's Lily. I need to call in that favor." I sighed.  
"Of course. What is it?" He asked.  
"I need someone I can trust to provide protection detail for my brother."  
"I heard about your parents. I'm sorry. I can be there in a half an hour." He answered.  
"Thank you."  
I sighed closing my eyes and leaning against the wall in the hallway.  
"Lily?" Dani said my name softly.  
"Hey, Dani." I looked over at her.  
"You good?" She asked me.  
"Honestly. I have no idea. My parents' causes of death weren't released. I knew it would come to this. The steps for a stalker like this are clear. First is the impression stage. He killed the people that hurt me. I didn't react. Next is the isolation stage. He wants to take out my support system. Evan, Malcolm, Gil, God... you. Then he'll come for me." I shook my head.  
"Yeah, no, not good."  
"You and Bright will be with us. Gil said you are getting Evan into some kind of protection program. We're going to find this guy and we'll protect each other." She assured me.  
"I called in a favor from someone I trust. It isn't an official protection program. Evan is in his senior year at NYU so he won't go into a real program."  
"Men are stubborn." She laughed.  
"Ya don't say." I laughed too.  
"Can you try to keep an eye on Malcolm until I can get back?"  
"Of course. You don't need any more stress right now." She smiled at me.  
"Thank you, Dani."  
She reached over and hugged me.  
I walked into Gil's office where Evan was waiting for me.  
"I called Howard Rowland. He's on his way and he'll be your protection detail until my team and I can find out who's doing this." I told him sitting on the opposite side of the couch.  
"How did we end up like this, Lily?" He asked gesturing to the space between us.  
"I'm not sure. Things changed when mom and dad died. I've spent the last twenty seven years with only one real goal. To be there for you. I showed up to all of those stupid family dinners and let them talk shit about me to my face because they loved you. They supported you and that was enough. Then they died and something changed. You decided that was my fault and that's fine but I have nothing left. I'll give you the protection and I'll do everything I can to keep you safe because you are my baby brother and I love you but fixing this... It's going to take a lot more than this." I stood up and walked back out of the room.  
"Lily." Malcolm called my name as I walked towards the conference room.  
"How did it go with Evan?"  
"As good as it could considering I had to put my brother who isn't even halfway through his senior year in college under protection." I shrugged feeling almost defeated.  
"We're damaged, Malcolm. I want to pretend he didn't blame me but he did and after probably the full thirty two years of my life of them placing all the blame on me I just can't. We never got along but I lost them too, dammit."  
"I know, baby. I know." He took me into his arms.  
"I need to go up to talk to my father." He told me after a long moment.  
"Ainsley's doing her interview today." I reminded him.  
"I know but he's the only one that can give me answers."  
I nodded.  
Ainsley looked up at us and sighed as her brother pounded on the door.  
"Let's take five, guys." She said standing up and walking into the hall to join us.  
"What are you doing here? You promised you wouldn't interfere." She complained looking between us.  
"Sorry, I know this is your big day, but we have a serial killer on our hands." He explained.  
"You think?"   
"No, not that one. A new one. An active one. He's out there somewhere, and I think he's connected to Dad, and I have... I have to talk to him."  
"Okay, I get it. It's not like it was going all that well in there anyway. I'm getting nowhere. He's just twisting everything I'm saying, - and it is driving me crazy."  
"Crazy. Yeah, welcome to my world. I need some answers, Ains."  
"Okay, fine. But I'm staying. I'll turn the cameras off, but I'm staying." She told us.  
Malcolm looked at me and I nodded.  
"There's no harm in that, Malcolm." I assured him.  
He nodded and we walked into the cell behind Ainsley.  
"Well, as I live and breathe! We got ourselves a family reunion." Dr. Whitly exclaimed.  
"We're gonna take a quick break so the authorities can ask some questions about a case. A serial killer, actually." Ainsley told her cameraman.  
"Ooh, exciting. Have they named him yet? I always thought The Surgeon was a little on the nose. But it's not about me."  
"It is about you. Your station wagon, specifically. The camping wagon." Malcolm said keeping close to me.  
"Oh, good for you. Where was it?" His father mocked him.  
"A junkyard in the Bronx, where we also found ten dead bodies." I answered.  
"Never been to the Bronx. And if you like me for the murders, well, what can I say? I've been indisposed."  
"We know you didn't kill them. But we think you know who did."  
"Oh. Cars can show up in all sorts of places, Malcolm."  
"Oh, so it was just a coincidence? One serial killer's car is found in the junkyard of another serial killer. What are the odds?" I hissed.  
"Well, not great, but let's see. There are usually between 25 to 50 active serial killers for about..."  
"Stop. Stop. I know they're connected. This knife was found in the center console of the station wagon. Don't tell me you don't remember." Malcolm showed him the knife.  
"Sure, that was your knife. Yeah, we got that in the, uh, rest stop just off the turnpike. And I know what you're thinking: "What kind of rest stop would sell a switchblade to a kid?" It was New Jersey. And you were never one to crush a penny. You wanted a practical souvenir."  
"Is that really why I wanted it?"  
I watched Malcolm's hand shake violently.   
"Why else would a boy want a knife? To whittle a piece of wood. Scale a fish."  
"And on our camping trip, what happened there, Dr. Whitly?"  
"Perhaps we better table this for now. Seems like you're taking up all your sister's time. There's only so much of Dad to go around."  
"Malcolm? Can I can I talk to you for a second?" Ainsley asked.  
"Yeah."  
We followed her back out into the hallway.  
"He knows something, I just don't have a way to get it out of him."  
"Hold on. I think we should team up. Seeing the way he is with you, i-it gave me an idea of how to finally get him on the defensive."  
"I have a case to solve, Ains." Malcolm sighed.  
"Yes, but that is not the case you're talking about. That is some next-level childhood drama that I'm not touching with a ten-foot fishing pole, and it sounds like you shouldn't, either. Come on, let me tap back in." She explained.  
"You're practically bouncing. Should I start playing the Rocky music?" He asked.  
"No, not yet. Just trust me, okay? Stand right behind me, in his sight line." She pleaded with her brother.  
Malcolm looked at me again.  
"It could give us answers too."  
We followed her back into the room. Malcolm stood directly behind her with me on his left.  
"So, I mentioned a number of your victims earlier, but I'd like to discuss one more. Malcolm. Malcolm Whitly."  
"I'm not sure I understand."  
"You claim to care about your son, yet what you did 20 years ago harmed him irreparably."  
He looked at me. I could feel his discomfort.  
"Well, that's not true."  
"Isn't it? He's been diagnosed with complex PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, night terrors. Dr. Whitly, do you know what happens to the human body when it withstands that much stress for that long a period of time?"  
Malcolm tensed, his breath coming quickly but quietly.  
"I'm... I'm not sure that's relevant."  
"He was fired from the only job he was ever good at. He hasn't been in a stable relationship in years. And the ten years he went without seeing you were by far the happiest, healthiest of his life."  
Malcolm reached over and grabbed my hand.  
"Well, that's absolutely not."  
"What could that say about you, except that you are an absolutely terrible father?"  
"I'm not. I..."  
"He just wanted to love you, - and you caused him so much pain."  
He squeezed my hand hard.  
"Stop it."  
"What kind of a father does that?"  
"Stop it! I was a good father, damn it! You say that again. Say I was a terrible father!"  
Martin stood up and tried to leap towards us. Ainsley stood up quickly, stepped back into Malcolm as he leaped towards me.  
"Don't take another step." Mr. David stepped up to him.  
"Ains, are you all right?" Jin asked.  
"Yeah. Did you get that?"  
"On camera? Yeah."  
"Good." She said looking right at her father.  
"You had a plan. It's always good to have a plan." Martin said quietly.  
Suddenly the hospital's alarm started blaring drawing my attention.  
"What is that?" Ainsley asked.  
"It's a lockdown." Malcolm answered looking at me.  
"Wonderful." I sighed.  
Martin smiled evilly at us.  
Ainsley asked Jin to take video of the hallway while Mr. David and I stood in the corner watching Malcolm and Ainsley talking amongst themselves just beyond Martin's reach and Martin watched them from his bookcase.  
"Can I ask you something?" Ainsley asked her father suddenly.  
"Sure, anything." He smiled at her.  
"The serial killer that Malcolm and Lily are chasing do you know him?"  
"You know, it is a parent's greatest joy to see his two children united - in a common cause." He said sitting down in the chair.  
"Answer the question." Malcolm snapped.  
"Okay. People who suffer from our sickness have a tendency to find others who suffer from it, too. Sometimes to enable, or, uh admire. In this case, I was, um a mentor of sorts."  
"For who? What's his name?"  
"Oh, men like this never have just one name. You know that."  
"We already have one. The junkyard was bought by Paul Lazar." Malcolm told his father.  
"That was well after my time. When I knew him, he was..." Suddenly there was pounding on the door at the end of the hallway.  
"Ainsley!" A male voice called from behind the door followed by more pounding.  
"Let me in! It's time for my close-up! I have so much to say." He yelled.  
I walked over to stand next to Malcolm in front of his sister.  
"Jin, get back here." Ainsley called.  
"Wait!" The man called.  
"He's got a key card!" Jin called.  
"Shit." I heard Malcolm call my name as I broke into a run; the door opened and the prisoner stabbed into Jin's chest.  
"Jin! Jin! Jin!" I heard Ainsley calling his name.  
I pushed hard against the tall man and got him out of the door again pulling the key card out of his hand.  
"Tevin, no!" Mr. David was suddenly beside me as Tevin pushed back against the door I was trying to close.  
"No! Malcolm, I need help." I called.  
"Ainsley, let me in!" Tevin called pushing against the door again.  
"We need to brace the door. Hurry!" Mr. David told him.  
"No fair! Ainsley Whitly!" Tevin called as Malcolm slammed into the door beside me finally sealing the door.  
Malcolm and Ainsley carried Jin back into Martin's cell.  
"What an eventful day we're having?" Martin smirked  
"Ambulance and SWAT are both on their way. 15 minutes." Mr. David told us.  
"Oh, he'll be dead in ten. That's not gonna work. I'm sorry, but he's not gonna die from the stab wound, the problem is the hemothorax. His lung is collapsing because of the excess blood. Look, uh, tilt his head back. You see the way his trachea is shifted? That means the blood has already filled the pleural cavity. If we don't release it, he's gonna die. What? What's the problem?" Martin asked as Ainsley looked up at him pleadingly.  
"You just said he's gonna die." She breathed.  
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's as if you've all forgotten you're locked in a room with a world-class surgeon."  
I sighed watching Ainsley and Malcolm argue.  
"I can do it." Malcolm said pulling me out of my head.  
"What?" I sighed.  
"I can do the surgery." He nodded at me.  
"Malcolm, come here." I urged.  
"You can't be serious, Malcolm. You've been shaking since we got here."  
"He can walk me through it. That's what you do, right? You consult with doctors by video, talk them through surgeries?" He called over to his father.  
"Doctors, Malcolm. Last time I checked, you haven't gone to medical school." Ainsley yelled at him.  
"I don't care. We're not giving that man a knife. End of story."  
"Malcolm!"  
"No, it's fine, sweetheart, I understand."   
"Stop!" I exclaimed.  
"I went to medical school. I can do it." I told them.  
"You did?" Ainsley asked.  
"Yes. Harvard Medical School while Malcolm went to Harvard Law."  
"She can do it. I can walk you through the steps, that's right. I do it all the time, but we have to start right away. Mr. David, please grab everything you can from your medical station. Now, Lily, open up his shirt. Clean the area as best you can. We're gonna need water. There. Grab Ainsley's." Martin instructed.  
"I've been drinking from it, it won't be sterile." She complained.  
"Well, I'm sure the knife won't be either, sweetheart. They can administer antibiotics when they get him to the ER. Right now, it's all about the ABCs: airway, breathing, circulation."  
"It's not much, but I found a scalpel." Mr. David said.  
Well, we'll make do. No more time to waste, Dr. Russell. Take the knife. You're gonna make an incision where you can feel between his ribs, just below the nipple."  
I took a deep breath and sliced carefully into his chest.  
"So, the goal is to drain as much blood as we can. Insert the tube into the hole you cut into the lung."  
I followed his instructions to the letter and the blood began emptying into an empty bottle.  
"Now that the blood has drained you need to clamp off the bleed. Yes. Like that. Now, check to insure he's breathing."  
"It's faint but it's there." I answered.  
"Thank you, Lily. Thank you." Ainsley reached over and hugged me.  
"Of course, Ainsley."  
"All clear. Let's get him out of here." Mr. David told us.  
Malcolm and I sat in the conference room his hands in mine when Gil walked in.  
"What did your father tell you?" He asked gently.  
"They're connected. The Surgeon and this serial killer. He didn't tell me how, but I think he may have told me where they met."  
"What do you mean "may have"?"  
"He mentioned St. Edwards Hospital. It's not where he had his residency, so he must have done a rotation there."  
"And St. Edwards..."  
"Is in the Bronx, where the junkyard is. It wasn't an accidental slip of the tongue. My father was trying to tell me something."  
"We'll pull all the employee records from when your dad was there."  
"Skip the doctors. His ego's too big to have worked with an equal. He referred to himself as a mentor, so the guy would be in his early 20s. Someone he could easily manipulate..."  
"What?" I asked as Malcolm trailed off.  
"Tevin. Tevin, he's just like the killer we're after. A beta to my father's alpha. Someone who seeks a mentor. Someone The Surgeon could manipulate to do his bidding."  
"Are you saying...?" Gil asked as Malcolm stood up and pulled out his cellphone.  
"The lockdown, the stabbing. Everything that happened today, what if Tevin did all of that just because my father asked him to?"  
"Why?"  
"So he could play the hero in front of his daughter on national television. It's literally his dream scenario, but Lily..." He looked at me.  
"Mr. David?" He said as he answered the phone.  
I listened with vague interest as Malcolm spoke over the phone. I did ruin Dr. Whitly's plan and that certainly wasn't going to end well.  
"Can you take me over to my mother's?" He asked.  
"Of course. I really do love that the two of you are getting close."  
I sighed sitting down next to Malcolm on his mother's couch.  
"So you're saying that my children went to see their serial killer father in serial killer prison, and it didn't go well? I'm shocked. Truly." She mocked sarcastically.  
"Please, enjoy your "I told you so. " But even you could not have foreseen this." He sighed reaching over to take my hand.  
"This is what he does, Malcolm. He draws people in, gains their trust, makes them love him. And then, when he has all the power He ruins them." She said looking at our entwined fingers.  
"Yeah, I know that story." He looked at me sadly.  
"Yes, he may have ruined your childhood, but he did not ruin you. You are made of tougher stuff." She told him causing me to smile.  
A faint sound echoed in the distance.  
"Is that ringing?" I asked.  
"Yeah. Where's it coming from?" Malcolm asked looking at his mom.  
The ringing continued.  
"The basement." She breathed.  
Jessica and I followed Malcolm down into the basement. The ringing came from behind a wall.  
"This is where my father's study was." Malcolm looked at me.  
He picked up a large pipe and struck the wall once.  
"Malcolm, don't. I boarded up that room for a reason." Jessica exclaimed.  
"We have to." Malcolm swung at the wall again.   
The ringing continued as he broke the wall down.  
"I thought it was disconnected." She looked at me.  
Malcolm went to answer the phone. I pulled my notepad out of my pocket and laid it in front of him.  
I was wondering if anyone would answer. He wrote.  
"Who is this?" He asked catching my eye.  
An old friend of your father's.   
"Who are you? Why are you calling?"  
It was good to see you in that junkyard, Malcolm. It's been too long. Who's that pretty lady you had with you?   
"What do you mean?" He asked ignoring the question about me.  
"How do I know you?"  
You don't remember? It was a hell of a camping trip.  
"Is it okay if I call you Paul? Or would you prefer something else?" He asked.  
Always liked Paul. Good strong name.  
"Why don't you tell me about this trip?"  
That's curious. Wonder why you don't remember? I could never forget that night.  
"Why? What happened? Talk to me. I'd, I'd love to hear it in you're own words. To be honest, Paul. I think I've blocked out pieces of my memory. Whole chunks are missing. Any idea what might have caused that?"  
"You two work like this often?" His mother whispered to me.  
I nodded.  
Why were you delivered to me, Malcolm? To help me or to stop me?  
"Uh, I just want to talk..."  
No. You're a cop. You want to catch me. Your dad must be... disappointed.  
"Well, we're not on speaking terms at the moment."  
I don't want to hurt you, Malcolm, but my work is important, and you interrupted it. I hate being interrupted! Better if you leave me alone.  
"You know I cant do that."  
That's not what I want to hear.  
"He hung up." He said looking at me.


	9. Family Friend

"May I offer anyone some Scotch? Or vodka? Gin?" Jessica asked as Dani and JT walked into the living room.  
I smiled reassuringly at Malcolm who rolled his eyes looking incredibly embarrassed.  
"I'm good with coffee." Gil smiled at her.  
"Cream and sugar? Or a nice hazelnut liqueur?" She continued.  
"So this is where Malcolm Bright grew up. It's, um nice." Dani said offering Malcolm a reprieve.  
"Thank you. One day I'll give you the full tour. But the abridged version is that's where we usually have the Christmas tree. That is a portrait of my great-uncle Douglas. Oh, and right over there is where my father was arrested for killing 23 people." He sighed.  
"It's a good-looking uncle." She smiled at him.  
"Sir. We've routed the basement line through the trap-and-trace system at Major Crimes." Officer Michelson told Gil.  
"Nice work. If he calls again, we'll get a recording, - maybe even a location, if we're lucky."  
"He'll call again. This was just a jumping-off point. Round one." Malcolm interjected.  
I caught his eye and walked out onto the front step.  
"Hey." He sighed joining me.  
"Hey." I turned to him placing my hands on his chest.  
I looked up into his eyes, reading his pain and fear.  
"We're all here, Malcolm. We'll figure this out."  
"Till we know what he wants from me and my family, we should assume he's a threat. Especially to you." He told me.  
"Me?"  
"You're a considerable threat and you're standing between him and me."  
"There's no where else I'd rather be." I smiled at him.  
"I'm serious, Lily." He sighed.  
"I know you are. So am I. There's nowhere I'd rather be than right here." I reached up and touched his face.  
"I love you." He breathed almost as if trying it out.  
We'd said those words to one another a million times in the past but here, now. It felt different. Like this time would be different. It felt even more real and finite than before. We were in this. Together. Forever this time.  
"I love you too."  
I ran my fingers through his hair as he kissed me gently.  
"I have that appointment with David at the FBI office in twenty. I'm going to drop you off and head over." I told him as we got in my car.  
"I completely forgot about that. Be careful, okay?" He looked at me his eyes pleading.  
"Of course. I'm only going into the office. David won't let anything happen to me." I assured him.  
"I know. I love you." He told me again.  
"I love you too."  
It was easy now to proclaim my love for him. I'd never stopped loving him.   
I dropped Malcolm off at the precinct before heading to the FBI office for a meeting with Director David Johnston.  
"Lily." He greeted me warmly as I walked into the bullpen.  
"David." I smiled shaking his hand.  
"How are you doing?" He asked leading my up the stairs to the Chief's office.  
"As well as can be expected I think. It's been hard since..." I sighed as he closed the door behind us.  
"I understand. Your father was a good friend. A much better friend than a father I've come to learn. You never told me." He watched me cautiously.  
"I never really told anyone. I just dealt with it." I answered.  
"I've been monitoring your freelance work as well as your work with the NYPD and I have to say I'm impressed." He said after a pause and a nod.  
"Thank you sir." I sighed thinking of the freelance work I'd done in the nine months between when I'd been hospitalized and when I went back to Malcolm.  
"I have a bit of an idea I'd like to run by you." He continued.  
"Of course, sir." I nodded.  
"I want to promote you to Chief of the New York office. It's a mostly administrative job that would allow you to continue your work with the NYPD but also shows that we here at the FBI value you." He explained.  
"You want me to run the New York office?" I asked shaking my head.  
"Yes. I haven't been very impressed with how this office has been run in the last five years under Chief Mitchell. I think that we could use a fresh perspective and I'm interested in where you'll take it. So, what do you think?" He asked.  
"It's an intriguing proposal. I'll for sure be able to continue my work with the NYPD?" I asked.  
"Yes. I know how much working with Malcolm Bright means to you. I know asking you to leave that behind would be a deal breaker." He smiled at me.  
"My parent's never approved of him." I sighed.  
"We had to let him go because he let his emotions get in the way one too many times and he punched a sheriff but he's a good man and he loves you. It was obvious that leaving you really affected him. I'm sure with the two of you back together he'll begin to thrive." He told me gently.  
"I'll do it. I'll run the office." I told him.  
"Perfect. I'll draw up the paperwork and we'll get things rolling."  
"Bright found a Winnebago buried at the junkyard." Edrisa told me when I walked back into the precinct after my promotion.  
"Of course he did." I sighed looking around for him.  
"He jumped into the Winnebago and found a victim alive. He's been taken to the hospital."  
"Of course he did."  
"They're in the conference room."  
"Edrisa? Bright got a package and it's bleeding." JT said walking out of said conference room.  
"Excuse me?" I asked looking at him.  
"Seriously." He sighed.  
I followed Edrisa into the conference room. There on the table was a package that was seeping blood.  
"Hmm..." I muttered walking over to stand next to Malcolm.  
We watched as Edrisa opened the box and pulled out a severed hand.  
"Apparently you aren't the only one with a thing for cutting off hands." Dani muttered to Malcolm who shot her a glare.  
"It's Father Leo's hand." Malcolm said almost sadly.  
I looked over at him.  
"Dani and I went to Father Leo's church when we found out that the victim I found sought refuge there." He explained.  
Suddenly, the phone in the center of the room started ringing.  
"That's the line we routed from Jessica's." Gil said looking at Malcolm.  
JT sat down at the trap and trace controls while the rest of us picked up headphones connected to the recording. I watched uneasily as Malcolm picked up the phone.  
"You get my present?" The male voice said on the phone.  
My heart pounded as Malcolm looked up at me.  
"I did. Very thoughtful." He answered cautiously.  
"So you're not at home anymore." The voice stated.  
"I had to go to work, but you know that. I have a serial killer to catch. Speaking of which, why Father Leo? He's not like your other victims."  
"Because you were snooping."  
"Is he still alive?"  
"I told you to leave me alone."  
"Just doing my job. You understand that, don't you? You have your "work," I have mine."  
"How did you find him? The piece of trash I left behind."  
"Ryan Davis. Can't take the credit for that; our crime scene technicians are very thorough."  
"Liar! Tell the truth! How did you know about my hiding spot?" I watched Malcolm's face carefully.  
"Killers make mistakes. I'm kind of good at this."  
"You think you can just be smart. Figure me out like a problem to be solved. But your curiosity is the real problem. Bad things happen when you snoop. Like when you found that girl."  
My heart stopped.  
"What girl?" Malcolm asked looking up at me again.  
"The one in your father's trunk."  
I wanted to look at Gil but I couldn't move my eyes away from Malcolm.  
"What do you know about her?" He asked cautiously.  
I made my way over to stand in front of him. His hand shook violently.  
"Oh, you do remember. That poor girl, all alone."  
"What do you know about her?!" He yelled and I took his hand.  
He squeezed my hand tightly.  
"Now who's got the temper? Better be careful. That'll get you into trouble." The line went dead.  
I could read Malcolm's face but he wouldn't look at me.  
"I need some air." Malcolm breathed.  
He ran out of the room and I looked at Gil for a short moment before I followed him.  
Outside he sat on the front steps to the precinct. I didn't speak. I knew there were no words I could offer him to help him right now. I walked down the stairs and sat directly in front of him. I laid my hand on his knee and he laced his fingers in mine. We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity before Gil came outside. He sat down beside Malcolm and looked between us.  
"She's real, Gil." Malcolm said softly looking at him.  
"It's possible that Martin told him about your nightmares." Gil reasoned causing me to sigh.  
We all knew that wasn't the case.  
"It wasn't a nightmare. Look, all my life, people have told me she was just a figment of my imagination, a bad dream. But she's real, and Paul knows what happened to her." I squeezed his hand.  
"I'm one of those people. And you're right. It's time I consider the possibility that I was wrong. I don't know what happened to her, Bright. But I do know you're not in this alone. Your team is here to help you."  
"Thanks, Gil. We'll come back in a second." He sighed.  
Gil looked at me and I nodded. He got up and walked back inside. I looked into Malcolm's face and my phone rang.  
"I'm sorry, baby. It's Evan. I have to take this." I sighed looking at it.  
"It's okay."  
"I love you." I told him kissing his gently.  
"I love you too." He smiled unconvincingly at me.  
"Evan?" I answered the phone.  
"Lily. How do I get rid of this guy?" He asked frustrated.  
"Your protection detail?" I asked.  
"Yeah. He's seriously cramping my style."  
"Does anyone actually say that anymore?" I sighed.  
"Apparently, I do." He sighed angrily.  
"Evan. This isn't a game. Someone is threatening your life." I sighed looking back at Malcolm who was looking at something off down the road.  
"That was weeks ago." He sighed.  
"Two weeks ago. Not exactly an eternity." I answered.  
I caught sight of Malcolm running down the street.  
"I have to go. We'll talk about this later." I muttered hanging up the phone.  
I ran after Malcolm. I watched him run through a door but it slammed shut behind him locking me out.  
"Blackwell." Ashlyn answered the phone.  
"I need help." I sighed looking at the card reader next to the door.  
"What's wrong?" She asked reading my tone.  
"Malcolm was chasing a suspect and ran through this door near the precinct that looks like it leads under a building. Can you hack into the card reader and get me in?" I asked.  
"Let me get into your GPS and find the address and I can get you in." She answered.  
"I don't mean to rush you but..."  
"I know, Lily. I know. Okay, you're in. Now." She said.  
I ripped the door open and ran down the hallway.  
"Malcolm!" I called his name when I saw what seemed to be a body lying outside of a turnstile.  
"Malcolm." I said his name again kneeling down next to him.  
"I'm okay." He muttered then gasped.  
"What hurts?" I asked touching him.  
"My ribs. He trapped me in the turnstile." He admitted.  
"You should have told me." I sighed.  
"I could have come with you."  
"Then you would have been in danger."  
"Malcolm. I'm an FBI agent. I can handle myself."  
"I know, but if something happens to you because of me..."  
"Something just happened to you. Dammit, Malcolm, lean on me." I begged.  
I sighed when he looked away from me.  
"Come on. Can you walk?" I asked standing up.  
"I think so, yeah." He groaned sitting up.  
"Three simple words. I want you to repeat them after me: call for backup." Gil said firmly shutting the door to his office.  
An on call paramedic had just finished setting Malcolm's cracked ribs and wrapped his torso in bandages.  
"I didn't think that there was..."  
"This isn't rhetorical, Bright. I actually want to hear you say the words out loud. Call..." Gil insisted.  
"Call for backup. I'll admit it was somewhat ill-advised."  
"To run into a dark tunnel alone and let him pop you like bubble wrap? Yeah, I'd say so. All right, look I know you want answers, but it's not worth getting killed over."  
Malcolm looked over at me.  
"That's not the only reason I went. He wanted me to follow him, alone, and I did. Now he believes that my need to find out the truth is stronger than my need to catch him."  
"And is it?" Gil asked  
"Of course not." He sighed.  
"My boss brought up the FBI again."  
"Ah, please. Paul implied that he wanted to meet me tonight and to bring Lily... If you bring in the FBI, then they'll never let us go."  
"Don't be so sure I'm gonna let you go."   
"He could have killed me in the tunnel, but he didn't. We're not part of his mission. We have to go. It's our best bet for catching him and saving Father Leo." He was almost begging.  
"Take him home." Gil sighed looking at me.  
"Get some rest both of you. If we're gonna do this, I want you to be fresh."  
I nodded.  
"Come on." I reached for him.  
"You didn't exactly stand up for me." Malcolm sighed as we walked into his apartment.  
"He's not wrong." I sighed.  
"You know it. I know it. Gil knows it. Malcolm..." I sighed again opening his freezer.  
"Sit down." I ordered and he complied sitting at a chair at his counter.  
"You should know I was promoted to Chief of the New York office today." I told him as I moved the chair so he was facing me and undid the buttons on his shirt.   
"What? Really?" He asked before I pressed a bag of frozen vegetables against his ribs.  
"Ah! That's cold!" He exclaimed.  
I looked up into his face with a small smirk.  
"Okay. I deserved that." He sighed.  
"Malcolm, we have to be a team. You and me. I can't bury you too."  
"Lily, I'm not going to die." He said gently touching my shoulder.  
"You don't know that. Malcolm, you don't. Any number of things could have happened down there today. Do you have any idea how scared I was?"  
"You aren't afraid of anything." He teased.  
"I'm afraid of losing you."  
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine.  
"I'm sorry, Lily." He breathed.  
"I know, Malcolm. I know."  
"I love you."  
"I love you too, so much." I pulled back a little to look into his face.  
He raised his hand and laid it against my face as he leaned in to kiss me. I sighed as his lips met mine. I kept a hand on the frozen food icing his wounds as I drew him closer to me.  
Simultaneously, the phone he got from Paul Lazar and the doorbell rang.  
"Answer the phone, I'll get the door." I smiled.  
"To be continued?" He asked.  
"We'll see." I teased.  
"Hello?" I asked pressing the button to talk to whoever stood outside.  
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I must have the wrong apartment. I'm looking for Malcolm Bright?" A female voice said.  
"This is Malcolm's apartment. I'm his girlfriend. Can we help you?" I asked.  
"It's Eve Blanchard. I'm a friend of his mother's." She said.  
"I remember the name. Come on up." I pressed the button to buzz her in.  
"We have a visitor." I sighed.  
"So, not to be continued?" He pouted.  
"Not right now. Keep those on the ribs." I instructed.   
"Hello?" Eve called from the front door.  
"Hey. Hey, come in." He said from the chair as I stood next to him.  
"We've met before. I'm the one.." She started walking over to us.  
"Helping my mother contribute to the human trafficking organizations. I remember." He interrupted.  
"Uh, uh, good memory. Although uh, technically, they're anti-human trafficking organizations. Should I come back?" She asked looking at him with his shirt open and our makeshift ice pack over the bandages on his torso.  
"Uh, I'm fine. But we don't have long to chat. We have to rush out the door." He said looking up at me.  
"Sorry to barge in. Your mother gave me your address under false pretenses. I would have called, it's just I'm concerned about her. She was drunk in the middle of the day." She explained.  
"Well, that's not unusual." He chuckled dryly tossing the bag onto the counter behind me.  
"And she was waving a gun around." She continued.  
Malcolm looked up at me again.  
"Okay, that part is unusual. Lily and I will check on her. We just have something we need to take care of first. Thanks for coming by."  
"Uh, yeah, some things are better heard in person." She looked at me.  
"I agree." I smiled at her.  
"You have to see a person's face to understand them."  
I felt Malcolm's arm wrap around me.  
"Definitely. Our whole job is reading people's faces." He answered.  
"I know. Good night." She answered showing herself out.  
"You don't like her." He noticed.  
"It's not that exactly." I sighed.  
"I told you. I'm not the person you knew five years ago. I have some insecurities."  
"You have nothing to worry about, Lily. You are the love of my life. You always have been. Ainsley was right when she said I hadn't been in a meaningful relationship in years. My only meaningful relationship I've been in was with you. No one else ever felt right. I don't see anyone else when you're in the room. It's always going to be you." He told me.  
"I love you, Malcolm Bright." I smiled at him.  
"I love you, Lilian Russell." He leaned forward and kissed me again.  
"Let's catch this son of a bitch."  
We pulled up to the parking lot less than a block from Fort Trotten.  
"Are you sure about this?" Gil asked us.  
"This is our only shot to save Father Leo and maybe get some answers." Malcolm sighed looking at me.  
"You know I'm with you. All the way." I reassured him.  
"Don't let him get himself killed." Gil told me.  
"I think we've come to an understanding." I smiled at Malcolm.  
"We have." He smiled back at me.  
"It's down that way." Gil told us pointing down a path off to our left.  
I took Malcolm's hand as we walked down the path.  
"Hello, Paul." Malcolm answered the ringing phone.  
"You don't need to talk to her." He said after a pause.  
He sighed and looked at me after another pause. I nodded letting him know it was okay.  
"Fine."  
"Dr. Lilian Russell." Paul greeted me through the phone.  
"Hello, Paul." I answered as Malcolm squeezed my hand.  
"You know, you're too good for him." He said.  
"Is that so? Why do you say that?" I asked.  
"You're pure. Damaged but pure." He answered pausing for a moment.  
"Are you ready for answers?" He finally asked.  
"Been waiting my whole life." Malcolm answered looking at me again.  
I knew he needed my strength and all I could do was offer it to him.  
"Through the fence." Paul instructed us.  
"Why'd you bring us here, Paul?" Malcolm asked.  
"Can you see me?" Paul asked coyly.  
"I was afraid you'd stand us up."  
"Now, keep your distance. I want to talk first."  
"What should we talk about?" Malcolm asked.  
"You wanted to know about the girl. Your father called me that night after he put you to bed." He told us.  
"What did you do with her?" Malcolm's entire arm shook as he held my hand.  
"You're getting ahead of yourself, but I kept a souvenir, and now I want you to have it. Do you see the bag?" Paul asked.  
"Where?" I asked looking around.  
"To your right. The third archway. Look familiar, Malcolm?"  
Inside the bag was a gold charm bracelet. Malcolm froze as I held it in my hand.  
"So you were his disposal man?" He asked regaining some semblance of his composure.  
"No. I have to say, I'm really surprised you don't remember me." Paul said.  
"Why? What happened there? I thought, maybe that was where the girl in the box was killed." Malcolm said pulling me down the pathway.  
"No. No. Related, but not the same." Paul answered as we continued walking towards the figure standing at the other end of the fort's ruins.  
I reached over and pressed the mute on the phone.  
"What are we doing?" I asked.  
"Trust me, Lily."  
"Let's talk face to face, Paul. Can I come over there?" Malcolm asked unmuting the phone.  
"Stay there. I'm not sure I can trust you quite yet." He said and I froze.  
Paul wasn't here.  
"Gil, We found Father Leo. He's here, alive. We need a medivac." Malcolm said muting the phone again.  
"I copy that. Where's Paul?" Gil asked.  
"I don't know, not yet." Malcolm answered.  
"I do. Keep him talking." I said.  
"Lily?"  
"Trust me, Malcolm."  
I ran back to my car and raced to the hospital where Ryan Davis was being treated.  
"Ryan Davis." I said flashing my badge at the front desk.  
"Fifth floor room 509." The nurse said as calmly as anyone could with a woman holding a gun and an FBI badge standing in front of her.  
"Thank you."  
I ran up the four flights of stairs to the fifth floor and found room 509 with relative ease.  
On the floor was the body of the uniformed officer that was guarding Ryan and in the bed was Ryan Davis. Blood seeping from his eyes, nose and mouth.  
"Shit." I sighed.  
I looked down the hallway and see the silhouette of a man pounding on a door.  
"Hey!" I exclaimed.  
"FBI! Freeze!"  
He turned and looked at me briefly before running the opposite direction.  
"Stop!" I yelled again.  
I raised my gun and fired down the hallway. It appeared that the bullet struck him in the shoulder.  
I wanted desperately to run after him and I even started to when Ainsley opened the door that Paul had been pounding on.  
"Lily?" She called my name.  
"I'm here, Ainsley." I called back.  
"Are they dead?" She asked as I walked the rest of the way to her.  
"Yes, Ains. They're dead." I answered.  
She reached over and hugged me clearly shaken.  
I heard Malcolm's voice calling her name through her phone.  
"Let me see." I reached for her phone.  
"Malcolm?" I said.  
"Lily?"  
"We're both okay." I assured him.  
"Ryan Davis and his protection officer are dead."  
"Gil and I are on our way." He told me.  
"Ainsley. We should meet Malcolm outside." I told her gently.  
"I have to check on Jin. I'll meet you out there."  
I nodded and watched her walk away.  
"Lily!" Malcolm called my name leaping out of Gil's car.  
"I'm okay." I insisted as he hugged me.  
"I heard a gunshot." He pulled away slightly to look at my face.  
"I think I shot him." I nodded.  
I drove Malcolm straight from the hospital to Jessica's.  
Jessica greeted us when we arrived as she watched Ainsley report the murders on the TV.  
"Eve Blanchard came to see us." Malcolm told her when I sat down in the arm chair next to where she sat on the sofa.  
"Isn't she a lovely young woman?" She smiled at him.  
"She said that you were armed." He continued.  
"That wretched little tattletale." She muttered.  
"Give." Malcolm extended his hand to her as I tried to contain my laughter.  
"She was concerned about you. So are we. This is dangerous." He said sitting down next to her.  
"You know what else is dangerous? Serial killers." She retorted.  
"Which is why police officers have been watching the house all day. Do you think we'd actually leave you here to fend for yourself?" He asked glancing at me.  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
"Cause you would've sent them away. If you're worried about staying here, why don't you check into the Plaza until this whole thing is over?"  
"You know Miltons owned this whole block back when it was farmland. Bought it from the profits they made outfitting the Hessians. Proved a sound investment."  
"It would just be for a few weeks." I could feel him practically begging her.  
"My great-great-great-grandfather built this house in 1871. And a Milton has lived here ever since. I didn't let Martin tarnish this house, despite what he was, and I will not be driven out now. This is my home. I don't want to go to a hotel, and I don't want to live under constant surveillance. I want to have a normal life. One that isn't perpetually haunted by the ghost of your father." She looked between us before her eyes rested on him again.  
"I want that, too. I can't promise he'll never haunt you again, but I can promise not to stop until we've caught the Junkyard Killer. You shouldn't have to live in fear." He told her.  
"It's Gil. I should take this." He sighed looking at his phone.  
"Any news?" He answered the phone.  
I reached over and took his mother's hand.  
"We'll find this guy, Jessica." I assured her.  
"I know you will, dear. Malcolm tells me you're the best there is."  
"They can't do that." I heard him say drawing my attention away from Jessica.  
"Did you tell them Lily's here?" He asked after a moment.  
"No. That's probably best." He sighed and hung up the phone.  
"What is it?" Jessica asked as we watched him.  
"Maybe you should keep that." He gestured to the gun before looking at me.  
"The FBI have taken over the Paul Lazar case." He sighed looking defeated.  
"We'll figure something out." I assured him.  
Suddenly, I wish I'd insisted on taking over the office effective immediately instead of agreeing to wait until Monday morning.  
"You don't know how bad things ended at the FBI." He sighed.  
"I know enough." I sighed.  
"We'll still find him. I promise you, Malcolm."  
"God I hope so."


	10. Pied-A-Terre

I woke up to my phone ringing early in the morning.  
"Hello?" I answered half asleep.  
"Lily? Can I come over?" Malcolm's voice asked through the phone.  
"Of course you can. Are you okay?" I asked.  
"I had another night terror." He sighed.  
"I'll put on water for cocoa for when you get here." I told him.  
"Thank you."  
I got up after hanging up with him and pulled on my plush robe before making my way down into the kitchen. I glanced at the clock. 2:55. I sighed and filled the kettle with water to heat.  
No more than twenty minutes passed before he knocked on my front door.  
"Didn't I give you a key?" I asked opening the door.  
"Probably. I don't even think I grabbed my keys." He sighed.  
He stood on my doorstep in a thin black long sleeved shirt and sweatpants.  
"Come in here. You must be freezing." I reached for his hand and lead him inside.  
"It's a little chilly." He joked weakly.  
The kettle started whistling from the kitchen.  
"Go sit on the couch under a blanket and I'll bring the cocoa in." I instructed.  
I took in two travel mugs of cocoa and sat down next to him.  
"Do you want to tell me about it or would you rather we just put on some B rated horror movie?" I asked leaning into him.  
"Movie first. Talk later." He wrapped his arm around me.  
I put on some random Netflix horror movie and we sat together.  
"You know, when I had night terrors as a kid Gil would take me out with him on stakeouts and we'd sit in his car and just talk about the most random things. It's where he gave me all of those life lessons. Told me police work is patience, when I asked him why we were doing it. I'm not sure where I was going with that. I was just thinking about it."  
"I do know that, hon. With the FBI taking over the Junkyard case it's normal for you to be anxious and impatient." I assured him running my fingertips over his arm.  
"What are we going to do?" He asked.  
"For now we need to wait. I've only been the Chief of the New York office for a couple weeks. We have to wait to see what Colette does."  
"Colette Swanson?" He sighed.  
"Yes. Don't worry about it. I'll handle her." I turned to look at him.  
"She hates me."  
"I heard what happened. I don't think she'll cross me yet. I have to meet with her later today." I told him.  
"I didn't know you were meeting with her." He looked down at me.  
"Yeah. She called last night and asked to meet. I'm the superior officer here, it makes sense she'd want to meet."  
"I forgot about that." He chuckled dryly.  
"There was a woman in my apartment. She pulled the katana off the wall and walked over to where I sat in the bed. She grabbed my ankle and pulled me down so I was lying on my back. I couldn't get back up. The katana broke through the mattress first between my legs, then on my left side next to my rib cage, then near my head, and finally through my heart. I woke up gasping for breath and reaching for you. Then I remembered that I'd decided to go home last night like an idiot."  
"You're not an idiot." I sighed.  
"It's good for us to spend time in our own beds. Gives us a chance to miss each other."  
"I miss you the minute you leave." He said.  
"I miss you too. All the time, but I think that's good for us."   
"Yeah, maybe."  
"Maybe we should lay down for a little while?" I asked.  
"Try to get a little more sleep?"  
He nodded. I turned off the TV and we put the travel mugs in the sink before retiring up to my room. Malcolm laid on his back and I curled up on my side next to him. I slid my hand under the hem of his shirt spreading my fingers across his stomach as he ran his fingers through my hair.  
I woke up again when Malcolm climbed back into bed.  
"What time is it?" I asked as he cuddled against my chest.  
"A little after ten." He muttered.  
"I have to meet Colette at two."  
"I have a surprise for you."  
"Oh yeah? What's that?" I asked.  
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." He teased.  
"Do you trust me?"  
"Of course I do. Malcolm?"  
"Close your eyes." He urged.  
I looked into his eyes and found an excitement I hadn't seen since we'd found one another again so I closed my eyes. He lifted me up into his arms and carried me down the stairs.  
"What are we doing?" I giggled feeling his heart race through his chest.  
I felt my feet hit the carpet of my living room but Malcolm kept his hands on my shoulders turning me slightly to the left.  
"Right there. Open your eyes." He whispered in my ear.  
When I opened my eyes there stood an easily seven or eight foot Christmas tree in my living room.  
"I saw Gabrielle this morning and she suggested that I take some time to try to live normally. When I left her office I started thinking about the way we decorated the tree back in DC and realized that we're actually late getting a tree up." He told me.  
"I actually haven't had a Christmas tree since you left. The first year it was hard to want to decorate on my own and the next year Bryce called it a stupid tradition. The year after..." I trailed off.  
"Anyway, I want to resurrect this tradition with you." I turned in his arms and looked up into his face.  
"I'm glad. I want to try to overwrite those painful memories with new good ones."  
"I want that too." I kissed him gently.  
Together we made coffee and I put on classic Christmas music as he pulled out the lights for the tree.  
Throughout our original five year relationship we spent the day after Thanksgiving the same way every year. We'd get up around ten or eleven in the morning and make coffee together before he decorated the tree while I watched him singing Christmas songs. We were about two weeks late this year but it was still a nice effort.  
After his father was arrested I was the only friend he had that would go over to the Whitly's to visit him. Martin Whitly was arrested in the early morning hours of December fifth of 1998 so I spent the twenty days before Christmas sitting next to Malcolm in his living room singing Christmas songs for him.  
"You look really good doing that." I told him refilling his coffee.  
"Thank you and thank you." He smiled at me as I leaned over to kiss him again.  
"Where did you find all this stuff?" I asked.  
"Evan said he put all of your decorations in the spare room down here." He motioned to my spare room.  
"I never go in there." I mused.  
"I noticed. There is so much dust." He feigned horror.  
"Oh, quit it." I playfully slapped at him.  
He wrapped his arms around me kissing my cheek.  
"Will you go out with me tonight?" He asked.  
"Of course. Where to?"  
"I'm not sure yet. I'll decide before you get home from your meeting." He promised.  
"Alright. I'm looking forward to it."  
I returned to lounge on the couch while he strung the lights around the tree.  
"Are you sure you don't want any help with that?" I teased as he struggled to untangle the rest of the lights.  
"Don't you dare." He sighed playfully.  
I giggled on the couch running my fingers through my hair.  
It took roughly a half an hour just to get the lights up but the rest went up without a hitch. In less than two hours we had a full Christmas tree up and I held the silver glitter star in my hand.  
"Are you sure you can still do this?" I teased.  
"I carried you down the stairs." He scoffed.  
He lifted me up by my waist so I could place the star on the top of the tree.  
We stepped back and looked at our (mostly his) creation.  
"It looks exactly like the ones we had in DC." I mused smiling.  
"One last finishing touch." He turned to look at me.  
He took my face in his hands and kissed me. His hands trailed down and gripped my waist pulling me closer to him. I felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.  
"I'm going to throw that thing out the window." I sighed as he pulled away from me.  
"I'm going to let you." He assured me.  
"Yeah, Gil." He answered.  
"Murder? Sure. I can be there."  
I sighed and pouted at him.  
"Yeah. I'm with Lily. She can drop me off." He half asked looking at me.  
I nodded reluctantly. I left him downstairs to get dressed. I wore a long sleeved white V neck button up blouse and jet black slacks under a black fitted trench coat. I pulled my long brown/blonde hair up into a tight ponytail that flowed over my shoulder.  
"You look incredible." Malcolm muttered walking into my bedroom.  
"You think about this image while you work that homicide." I teased turning to look at him.  
"I'm going to think about how you look right now all day until I see you tonight." He kissed my forehead.  
"Are you ready to go?" I asked.  
"Absolutely."  
"You know you're covered in glitter, right?"  
"Absolutely." He smirked at me.  
I dropped Malcolm off outside a posh apartment building and watched him walk inside before pulling back into traffic and making my way out to the New York FBI Field Office.  
I wasn't much of an office person but I now had an office with the FBI where I waited for Special Agent in Charge Colette Swanson. It was honestly the last place I wanted to be on that particular Friday.  
"Dr. Lilian Russell?" Colette asked poking her head into my office as if she didn't know me.  
"Come in Agent Swanson." I called and motioned to the chair in front of me.  
"I apologize for the accommodations. I'm still moving in so it's not yet furnished for comfort."  
"I just came to discuss the Junkyard Killer case. I didn't come for your pleasantries." She shot back at me.  
"Don't forget who you're speaking to." I answered her glare.  
"I understand that you have a personal relationship with Malcolm Bright."  
"That doesn't sound like a question so I'm not going to answer it."  
"It isn't. I'm sure you are aware that he was recently fired from the FBI."  
"I am the Chief of this office. I am aware, however, I am unsure what that has to do with his work with the NYPD. He is entitled to find new employment."  
"He's unpredictable, unconventional, reckless, I don't want him anywhere near this case."  
"I think that would be a mistake. Malcolm Bright is one of the best profilers I've ever worked with. He is unconventional but he gets results and he's saved lives. He has insight into this case."  
"Perhaps that's the problem. Why does someone in law enforcement have a personal link to a serial killer?"  
"His past is not his fault anymore than your past is your fault, Colette. His father was a notorious serial killer that isn't his fault. A serial killer with a confirmed connection to his father contacting him is not his fault." I sighed.  
"I'm going to insist that you take his report and preliminary profile into consideration moving forward but I won't attempt to insist that he be allowed to remain on the case. I, however, am insisting that you run all of your findings by me by end of day. I trust in your abilities and am not requiring you to contact me before running down leads as some would." I reminded her of Chief Mitchell's practices.  
"I appreciate the leeway but I don't think I need his..."  
I cut her off by raising my hand.  
"It's nonnegotiable. I will make sure all of the NYPD files are forwarded to you and your team for consideration. Take all the time you need to find the person responsible for this but remember that we have sixteen confirmed victims at this point."  
"Yes, ma'am." She nodded solemnly.  
"We can't be enemies right now, Colette. People are dying."  
"Of course, Dr. Russell. Am I excused?"  
"You called this meeting. Are we finished?" I asked.  
"Yes, ma'am." She said her brown eyes meeting mine.  
"Dismissed."  
I watched her leave and sighed. I rested my chin on my hands. This was not going to go well. Colette and Malcolm had never seen eye to eye. She found him to be arrogant and egotistical. To be fair, he could be. He used it as a defense mechanism against his past trauma. He was much less guarded with me but I understood how it could be off-putting to others. She would not have been my first choice for this case but it was Chief Mitchell's final act as Chief.  
I glanced down at my ringing phone.  
"Hey, baby. How's the case going?" I asked.  
"I may or may not have almost joined a sex club." He sighed.  
"Of course you did." I chuckled.  
"It's not funny, Lily!" He pouted.  
"It's a little funny."  
"I'm not sure you wouldn't think it's so funny if you'd been there when she was trying to rip off my clothing."   
"I'm sure Gil wouldn't let that happen." I teased.  
"Yeah, probably not. Are you back home yet?" He asked.  
"No. I'm about to leave the office now. I want to get a shower and change into something less office appropriate. Do you want to just meet me there?" I asked.  
"Sure. I'll text you the address."  
"Okay, babe. I love you."  
"I love you too."  
I thought for a moment before pulling up another contact on my phone.  
"Hey. It's Lily Russell. I'm meeting Malcolm at Amsterdam Billiards in a half hour or so and I was wondering if you'd care to join us.?"  
"Is it like a date?" Her voice asked me.  
"Kind of but I think we need more friends. We're so closed off to almost everyone around and I think we need to start building real relationships." I explained.  
"Well, if you're sure then I'd love to. I know what you mean about being closed off. I've been so wrapped up in work since I got here that I don't have many friends at all." She mused.  
"I'll see you there?" I asked.  
"Absolutely."  
After a quick shower I changed into a pure white deep v neck long sleeved cross wrap top with a waist tie, Alexa skinny jeans and three inch leather ankle boots with silver accents. I did a simple smoky eye with pale pink glossy lip before running out the door to meet Malcolm.  
He stood outside the bar waiting for me.  
"Hey there." I smiled hugging him.  
"Hey. I was starting to worry."  
"I'm not that late." I sighed.  
"Fair. Come on." He took my hand leading me into the bar.  
"Oh hell no." JT muttered.  
"Hello to you too, JT." I smiled at him.  
"Hi. My wife is..."  
"Malcolm Bright?" A woman asked from behind us.  
"How do you?" Malcolm started.  
"Uh, $10,000 suit. Wild guess. I'm Tally. JT's wife."  
"I'm Lily Russell. Malcolm's girlfriend." I smiled extending my hand to her.  
"Oh! You are gorgeous. Here, take JT's." She handed me a beer bottle.  
"Thank you and thanks." I leaned towards Malcolm.  
"Honey?" JT sighed.  
"Honey, run back to the bar, would you?" Tally asked him.  
"JT told me about the psychic thing that you do. How you, like, get inside the killer's head. How do you do that?" She looked at Malcolm with wonder.  
"Uh had a lot of training. At Quantico." He told her as I moved to lean against the pool table.  
"Tally, give the man some room. I plan to make some money off his rich ass." JT teased.  
I laughed as Malcolm tried to hit the cue ball.  
"Uh, next time, we should play squash. I'm very good at squash." He sighed.  
"Don't you remember anything I taught you in college?" I laughed again.  
I walked over and took his cue stick. I took his hands and positioned them over mine.  
"Remember. Feel it and follow it through." I told him.  
Together we struck forward and hit the cue ball knocking two separate pool balls into two different sockets.  
"Damn." JT said shaking his head.  
"Hey! Malcolm. Lily." Eve exclaimed walking up to us.  
"Hey. How are you?" I asked excitedly.  
"Good. Good. I'm so glad you invited me out." She smiled.  
"You did?" Malcolm asked me.  
"Yes, love. We need more friends." I told him with a small smile.  
I'd taken what he said into great consideration and decided that it would be good to have more friends and Eve could make a good addition to that.  
"Hey, shouldn't you have known that? Like, being a profiler and all? Ooh, can you do one of us?" Tally teased.  
"It's behavioral science, hon, not a party trick." JT cautioned.  
"Do me." Eve offered.  
"You don't want me to profile you." Malcolm sighed.  
"I think I can handle it." She insisted.  
"Eve..." I started.  
"How bad can it be, Lily?" She asked.  
"Okay, uh you're not from my mother's world, but you blend in effortlessly. But you are equally as comfortable in a lower social strata." Malcolm started.  
"Social strata who says that?" Eve teased.  
"Uh, this is a clinical analysis." Malcolm insisted.  
"Okay." She conceded.  
"Or do we not admit to our country's inherent class system?" He challenged.  
"Okay."  
"You were raised middle class. I'm hearing the Carolinas. You're very smart. Elegant. Social. That didn't drive you to New York. Your work. To end human trafficking. There's a reason for that. An event. Something deeply personal drove you here." Malcolm continued.  
"In truth, it was a Saab." She smiled at me.  
"The faded heart tattoo on your wrist. Looks like it's over 15 years old. Which means you got it when you were just a teen. Young. An adult would've had to have been with you. Which gives it real significance. But it's not broken. It's split. So, who has the other half? A woman. Mother? Sister?" Malcolm continued.  
I reached over and touched his arm as I read her face.  
"Bright." JT said his name.  
"Right they're gone. Whatever happened to them motivated you to help other women. But no matter how many people you save, you can't save the other half of that heart."  
"Malcolm." I said as Eve walked away.  
"Eve, wait." He called after her.  
"Uh I am so sorry." Tally told him.  
"JT's right. It's not a party trick." Malcolm sighed.  
"Stay here. I'll talk to her." I sighed walking after her.  
"Eve. Eve! Wait up." I called half running to catch up with her at the entrance to the bar.  
"Is he always like that?" She asked me spinning to look at me.  
"No. He has a hard time shutting off that part of him sometimes but he's a good man. Plus, you did ask him to do it." I reminded her.  
"You did warn me, didn't you?" She asked and I nodded.  
"Has he ever profiled you?"  
"Not out loud, no. I'm sure his mind is always running but I don't pry." I sighed.  
She looked at me quizzically.  
"Malcolm and I have been friends for the better part of twenty one years. I know how his mind works and when he's analyzing a choice I made or something I've done. I know that if I ask he'll tell me the truth and normally that's something I know I won't be able to handle at the time so I just let him analyze and normally it helps him help me overall." I explained to the best of my abilities.  
My friendship and relationship with Malcolm was often hard to explain. We understood each other in ways most people didn't or couldn't and I loved him. That was the bottom line.  
"I can see how much you love him." She smiled at me.  
"It hasn't been an easy road for us but we're where we belong." I smiled back at her.  
"Should we go back?" She asked after a pause.  
"If you're alright, then yes."  
She nodded and we began to walk back over to the pool tables where Malcolm still stood with JT and Tally.  
As we walked passed the bar a firm hand gripped ahold of my arm.  
"Excuse me." I hissed firmly as I tried to pull my arm away but the grip tightened.  
I turned and looked up into the face of the man grabbing me and froze.  
"Remember me?" He asked his dark brown eyes bore into my soul as he spoke.  
"Get off me." I said firmly.  
His hair, much longer than the last time I'd seen him, pulled up into a tight bun at the base of his skull.  
"Now, that's rude, Lilian. Apologize." He hissed gripping my arm tighter and pulling me towards him.  
I hissed as pain shot through my arm where he held me.  
He raised his hand as if to hit me and out of instinct I shrank back.  
I didn't hear Eve call for JT and Malcolm but suddenly they were there. JT held onto his raised forearm while Malcolm held the wrist of the hand holding me.  
"I suggest you let her go before I have to break your wrist." Malcolm said evenly looking directly into his face.  
"I don't know who you think you are." JT growled ripping him off of me and slamming him into the bar before handcuffing him.  
I shook violently staring at the events unfolding. I could feel Malcolm's hands on my shoulders and I could vaguely hear him call my name.  
"Lily." He gently shook me.  
"Malcolm..." I whispered his name.  
"You can't hold me unless she's willing to press charges!" He yelled in my general direction.  
I buried my face in Malcolm's chest.  
"Is that who I think it is?" He asked me gently.  
All I could do was nod.  
"JT! Can you get him out of here?" Malcolm called tightening his grip on me.  
Malcolm crouched down in front of me as I sat sideways in my driver's seat outside the bar. Eve and Tally stood next to one another next to the car.  
Uniformed officers from the NYPD arrived.  
"Offender is Bryce Abbott." JT said walking up to us.  
"I know." I muttered.  
"You know?" He asked.  
I looked up at him.  
"Bryce and I dated for almost two and a half years."  
"You broke up?"  
"If you call a coordinated effort by the DC hospital nurses to facilitate my escape after he beat me so badly I miscarried my baby a break up then yes. We broke up." I sighed.  
"JT." Gil said his name walking up to us.  
JT moved out of the way but Malcolm stayed crouched in front of me.  
"Bright. Let me talk to her a minute." He said gently touching his shoulder.  
Reluctantly he nodded, stood up and Gil replaced him.  
"Lily. Are you okay?" He asked gently taking my hand.  
I nodded but didn't look at him.  
"I know you haven't seen him since you've been back to New York. I can't imagine how hard that is."  
"This isn't me, Gil. I'm stronger than this." I sighed quietly.  
"You are strong, Lily. Don't you dare think otherwise. You know exactly how abuse like what you suffered can effect someone." He assured me.  
"I'm not just someone, Gil."  
"You're being too hard on yourself. I need you to tell me if you want to press charges."  
"You're a fucking coward, Lilian. You'll never follow through with it." I heard his voice yelling as the patrol car pulled out of the parking lot.  
"Yes." I breathed.  
"I want to press charges."  
Eve and Tally agreed to drive me home so Malcolm and JT could go with Gil to a new crime scene.  
"They don't really need me. I should go home with you." Malcolm insisted while everyone prepared to leave.  
"You know they need you. Gil would send you with me if they didn't. Go. Solve the case, then come home to me." I assured him.  
"Are you sure?" He pushed.  
"I am. I'll take another shower and order in for when you get there. I'm okay, baby."  
He nodded and kissed me.  
"I love you, Lily."  
"I love you too. Be safe, okay?"  
He forced a smile and walked over to Gil.  
"Come on." Eve said gently leading me over to my passenger seat.  
Tally drove my car and Eve drove her own as I gave direction to my home.  
"You do not live here." Tally muttered as she parked in my driveway.  
I nodded and smiled weakly.  
They both followed me up to the front door and into the loft.  
"Thank you." I sighed sitting on the couch to remove my boots.  
"Of course. You need to be cared for right now." Eve said sitting next to me.  
"You guys don't have to stay." I shook my head.  
"JT told me when you lost your parents in October. We want to be here for you." Tally said looking up at Eve who nodded.  
"I'm not used to being supported." I admitted.  
"Malcolm has always known how to be there for me and Gil has helped a lot since we met when I was fifteen but this kind of support... I'm unexperienced with it. It blew me away when the team decided to come with me to my parents' funeral."  
"New York isn't known for its supportive citizens but from what Malcolm said Eve is from the Carolinas and I'm from Minnesota, which for the record is the friendliest state in the union." She smiled at me.  
"I did hear that." I smiled at her.  
Tally ordered the pizza while I took another shower and changed into an oversized long sleeved dark blue cotton lounge shirt and matching plaid pants.  
The three of us lounged on my couch eating pizza, watching The Lost Boys, followed by The Sixth Sense, then Jurassic Park while we waited for Malcolm and JT to get there.  
"I never understood horror movies until sitting here watching them with you two." Eve mentioned as Jurassic Park ended.  
"Oh, honey. These aren't horror movies. Next time you come over we'll watch real horror movies." I teased.  
Tally, Eve and I were laughing when Malcolm and JT came in.  
"I can't believe you live here." JT smiled at me.  
"It's not my most impressive property." I smiled back.  
Malcolm and I said our goodbyes to our guests and settled in on the couch again.  
"How did it go?" I asked laying with my head in his lap.  
"Fine. We got her." He smiled down at me.  
"Stop worrying." I sighed reading his face.  
"We spent six hours watching movies and eating pizza. The longest I was alone was my twenty minute shower. I'm okay, Malcolm."  
"I know. I just can't help but feel like this is my fault."  
"How is it...?"  
"If I hadn't left he'd never have gotten close to you in the first place."  
"Things happened the way they were supposed to. You are not to blame for what happened with me and Bryce. He is to blame and I am to blame. No one else." I told him sitting up.  
"You're not..."  
"I should have left the first time he hit me, but I didn't. That's on me."  
"What can I do to support you, right now?" He asked.  
"This is good." I leaned into him.  
"I can do this." He wrapped his arms around me.


	11. Silent Night

I was in and out of sleep laying on Malcolm's couch before his sister's TV special on their father started. It'd been a rough month since taking over the FBI office and continuing my work with Malcolm and the NYPD. He sat on the edge of the couch in front of me watching intently but I wasn't paying much attention. I knew who his father was. Not a fan.  
Suddenly, glass shattered. I opened my eyes to see a black stiletto in the television screen.  
"Hello Jessica." I called over the couch.  
"Mother. My TV." Malcolm sighed.  
"I thought we agreed to avoid watching this garbage." She asked him as he stood up to remove the shoe from the TV.  
"No, you agreed. I thought it best not to argue. Is this your plan? To foil Ainsley's ratings by destroying every television in America?" He asked handing her the shoe.  
"God knows you have enough shoes."  
"I don't know why you torture yourself. I thought you were newly devoted to being "normal." She asked him.  
"Yeah, well, that didn't really work out." He sighed looking at me, obviously thinking about Eve's profile and my run in with Bryce afterwards.  
"Why didn't you tell me? The girl in the box. The memories. You have proof. They're all real." She exclaimed as I pulled my legs up towards my chest and sitting up.  
"How did you..?" He looked back at me and I shook my head.  
"Gil." He sighed.  
"We told you they weren't real for years. Of course you're not normal. How could you be?"  
"It's not your fault. Or Gil's. Martin Whitly did this to me. He manipulated me, he drugged me."  
I could feel Malcolm's anxiety rising.  
"Drugged you?" She asked looking between us.  
"He used chloroform. To confuse me. To help me forget." He explained.  
Jessica sat down heavily.  
"I thought he loved you. That at least he took care of you, and your sister. I'm sorry." She told him looking back up at him.  
"Thank you. But you don't have to say that." He sat down between us facing her.  
"I really do. And I have to clear the air before tomorrow night... Christmas, dear." She explained to his obviously confused face.  
"It's an annual holiday? Maybe you've noticed the decorations and that handsy Santa outside Gristedes?"  
"I'm not feeling very festive." He sighed looking at Martin Whitly's face frozen in a scream on his screen.  
"Your father has taken so much from us. Don't let him take this." She appealed to him.  
"Okay, mom. Okay." He conceded.  
"You'll be there, Lily?" She asked me.  
"Of course." I smiled at her.  
"Hey. Maybe we should stay at my place tonight?" I suggested after Jessica left.  
"Why?" He asked me absently.  
"Maybe being near the tree we put up a couple weeks ago will help your Christmas spirit."  
"That was before this." He sighed gesturing to the TV.  
"So, your mom broke the TV. I have a TV. We can fix this." I smiled playfully at him.  
He cracked a small smile.  
"Malcolm, baby, you knew this was coming. We were there when she did the interview. It was only a matter of time before it aired."  
"Yeah, but on Christmas eve? She couldn't wait two more days?" He sighed.  
"It is in poor taste, I'll admit, but you can't let that ruin your holiday, babe." I answered reaching for him.  
"Yeah. Let's go to your place." He smiled at me as I wrapped my arms around him  
"It's like walking into a winter wonderland." Malcolm mused playfully as we walked into the loft.  
"It is, isn't it?" I smiled leaning back into him.  
"You were right. It's hard to not feel festive here." He pressed his lips to the skin behind my ear.  
I sighed and pushed back against him. His arms wrapped around my waist.  
"Have we ever made love to Christmas music?" He whispered in my ear.  
I giggled and turned in his arms.  
"There's a first time for everything." I whispered before kissing him.  
I felt him pick me up and he sat down on the couch. I pulled back and pulled my shirt over my head before taking his face in my hands kissing him again. I moved my hips grinding against him. He moaned into my mouth unclasping my bra. He sat up with me still on top of him so we could take off his shirt.  
I sighed as he moved his lips to my neck and his fingertips kneaded into the small of my back. It seemed effortless for him to move and lay me on the carpet in front of our Christmas tree. He dragged his fingertips across my chest and down towards my waist following them with his lips. I moaned tossing my head back as he kissed across my stomach, pulling my sweats down off my hips.  
I felt the weight of him press down into me. I pushed against his shoulder so I could climb on top of him. I rocked my hips against him as he kissed on my neck again.  
I woke up and we were still on the floor in front of the tree. My head rested against his bare chest. I shivered as I became aware of the air on my bare skin. I got up and grabbed a throw blanket off the couch and snuggled back against him.  
"That's better." He muttered pulling me closer.  
I heard his phone ringing in his pocket near us.  
"Malcolm. It's Christmas." I sighed.  
"Murder doesn't take a holiday." He smiled sadly at me.  
"Sorry to call you in on Christmas." Gil told us as we walked into the high end hotel.  
"It's okay. We were in the neighborhood caroling." He teased causing me to smack at him.  
I'd much rather have been having sex at home.  
"No sign of ESU or CSU?" He asked dodging another one of my playful hits.  
"They're already upstairs. We're keeping this quiet." Gil explained.  
"Oh, yeah? Keeping secrets doesn't seem to be your strong suit." He jabbed at him.  
Gil looked at me confused.  
"My mother dropped by last night." Malcolm explained.  
"She was gonna find out soon enough. Better it came from one of us."  
"Are there any updates in the Paul Lazar case I need to know about?" Malcolm asked looking between us.  
"I don't have any answers. Neither does the FBI. Their task force is moving into the precinct." Gil answered.  
"Oh, they'll want to question me."  
"They very much do not want to question you. The special agent in charge is Colette..."  
"Swanson. I know. We worked together in D. C. She hates me."  
"Oh, yeah. Said to keep you out of her way." Gil sighed.  
"That all she said?"  
"There were other words, but why ruin your holidays? Come on. I got something that'll cheer you up."  
"Merry Christmas." Malcolm smiled at JT who glared and nodded at him.  
"Happy Hanukkah?" He adjusted earning him another swing from me and I noticed JT fighting a smile.  
"Hallway's secure. Hotel's keeping things under wraps. And I should be home eating my wife's kringle right now. It's a pastry." JT explained angrily to Malcolm's questioning expression.  
"Hey. Did you watch your sister's interview last night?" Dani asked as we walked towards the room.  
"U-Uh, my TV's on the fritz, so..."  
"He means his mom threw a shoe into it." I added causing Dani to look at me.  
"Why are we keeping this under wraps?" Malcolm asked changing the subject and glaring playfully at me.  
"The victim is high-profile. This one's close to home. He's a cop. Ian Turner, chief of detectives. Room's under his name." Gil said solemnly.  
"You knew him?" Malcolm asked.  
"He was a three-star. Everybody did. Turner worked his way up the ranks. 42 years of service. And he had a rep. Squeaky clean." Dani added.  
"So squeaky clean, he fought it out with a few dirtier cops on his way up. Some people got no patience for doing things by the book." JT said pointedly.  
"Mm, this is no "by the book" exit. Who's the woman?" Malcolm asked.  
"Emily Hayes, 26. She had a misdemeanor for prostitution. We're thinking murder, suicide." Dani said.  
"Yeah. I'm not seeing that. No defensive wounds. And why would Chief Squeaky-Clean wear his badge to meet with a sex worker? I take it Turner had no history of abuse or violence. Why now?" Malcolm asked.  
I wandered around the room with my hands in my pockets.  
"Turner obviously had a secret. He was seeing a sex worker. Maybe Emily threatened to turn him in. He shoots her, takes his own life. Out of guilt." Dani suggested.  
"Are you finished with the murder weapon? The suicide you're describing is the result of deep shame. Turner killed a woman in cold blood and violated everything he ever stood for. He would have looked at her, there on the bed. Adrenaline fading, guilt building. Must have felt this growing weight on his chest. Like a burden he couldn't lift. This was his only escape. Suicide. But something's not quite right." Malcolm explained holding the gun in his hand.  
"Looks that way." Gil sighed looking at me.  
"He wouldn't have been looking at the victim. He would've turned away. Out of shame." He raised the gun to his head.  
"Malcolm." I sighed.  
"Whoa. Hey. Bright! Put the gun down now." Gil exclaimed.  
"It's not oh. Wait, it is. Ooh. Sorry." He cringed looking at the gun before putting it down.  
"Do you have any idea how stupid that was?" Gil asked.  
It was not the first time nor would it be the last Gil asked Malcolm that question.  
"Turner didn't kill himself. There was a third person. Both victims were dressed, so Emily had just arrived. Perhaps Turner used the dead bolt on the door to hold it open so Emily could get in. The killer wouldn't need a key to get in - if he acted fast. He came in, hit Turner, took his gun and shot Emily. This wasn't a murder-suicide. It was a double homicide." He looked at me with a smile.  
"Prove it." Gil challenged.  
I sighed and shook my head.  
"What? This'll be fun." Malcolm told me as we left the room.  
"More fun than the sex we could be having right now? We were off today." I complained.  
"Help me then. Help me find the guy who killed Chief Turner and Emily Hayes. I'll take tomorrow off." He promised.  
"Fine. What do you need from me?" I asked him.  
I sat at one of the desks in the NYPD office while Malcolm worked with Gil and the others in the conference room.  
"You know, I love working for you, Lily." Ashlyn sighed.  
"If you'd come up here every once in awhile we could hang out like we used to. I call you every week like I told you I would. I opened my call with Merry Christmas." I told her.  
"I know. I really do love working for you. I'll deep dive Turner's files and call you back when I have something."  
"Thank you, Ash." I smiled.  
I glanced up and watched Colette walk into the conference room the team was working in.  
"Girl, I have to go." I sighed.  
"Let me know how it goes with Swanson." She giggled.  
"Let's set up in here. Good morning, Lieutenant Arroyo. Thank you for this accommodation." Colette said with a smile walking into the room they were in.  
"Anything for the FBI, though I'm not sure I had a choice." Gil sighed glancing at me as I walked in behind them.  
"Special Agent. No, wait. That's not right. What the hell do they call you around here?" She said looking at Malcolm.  
"Hello, Colette. "Bright" usually works." He offered a strained smile.  
"Ah. Not for me. My task force has taken over the Paul Lazar case. The Junkyard Killer..."  
"Colette." I said cautioning her.  
She glanced at me.  
"I know. We've been looking into his past. Paul's motives are based on a deep self-hatred. He was likely raised by a single mother who..." Malcolm started.  
"Wow. Less than 30 seconds to get to the bad mom. That must be a new record."  
"I was just..."  
"Blaming a woman for a man's misdeeds? Yeah, I caught that, too."  
"I was simply pointing out that serial killers aren't just born, they're also made."  
"And sometimes they're just born. Why don't you leave your mommy issues at home? This case needs a new perspective. I need bodies, so who can you spare?"  
"Colette. That's enough." I said again causing her to glare at me.  
"I can't really spare anyone. My team's working a homicide." Gil told her.  
"It's Powell, right?" She looked at Dani.  
"Uh, how do you two know each other?" Dani asked Malcolm.  
"Colette's a profiler. We worked together in D. C." He answered her.  
"Barely. I read your file. I was really impressed. I need someone to walk me through what you have." Colette ignored my glare.  
"Is that something you think you can do? Your commissioner promised me the resources I need." She looked at Gil who looked at me.  
Reluctantly I nodded.  
"Colette. Paul Lazar called me. I have a personal connection..."  
"With a serial killer, yes. That's the best reason yet not to use you." She growled at him.  
"Take Dani. For 24 hours." Gil conceded.  
"You're with me." He looked at Malcolm.  
"Merry Christmas." Colette smiled at him as she shut the door.  
"There has to be something we can do." Malcolm complained as he carried more files into the small cubicle.  
"I'll deal with her soon enough. I still have to try and get my brother to talk to me. It is Christmas." I sighed.  
"He's still angry?" He asked.  
"Yeah. I'm ruining his life." I sighed.  
"Lily. You know that's not true, baby." He sighed laying his hands on my shoulders.  
"Yeah." I shook my head.  
"I just... I don't understand. Someone threatened his life and I'm still the bad guy."  
"Why don't you go up to the college and talk to him face to face? I can handle things here for a few hours." He assured me kissing my forehead.  
"Thank you, baby. Please try to be safe. I'll be back as soon as I can." I smiled at him.  
"I love you, Lily." He smiled at me.  
"I love you too. I'll see you later."  
I kissed him gently and started to walk out, but a horrible anxious feeling washed over me.  
"Malcolm." I called his name walking back to him.  
"What's wrong?" He asked looking up from the file he'd opened.  
"I just need another kiss." I smiled at him.  
"I'm always available for that." He smiled back at me.  
"I mean it though. Be safe."  
"Of course. I love you." He kissed me.  
"I love you so much." I kissed him again.  
I pulled up outside Evan's dorm room an hour later. I sighed my hand shaking slightly. I took a deep breath and got out of my car and walked up to the door.  
"Do you know Evan?" A male voice asked me before I could knock on the door.  
"Yes. Do you?" I asked turning around to see a roughly eighteen year old boy black hair and green eyes.  
He nodded looking a bit afraid.  
"I'm his sister." I told him.  
"He missed his classes last week. No one's seen him since last Sunday." He told me.  
"Has anyone knocked on the door?" I asked.  
He nodded again.  
"I'm going to open the door. Can you stand back there over by my car until I come back out?" I asked.  
"Okay." He said softly.  
I pulled out my keys again and unlocked the door with my hand on my pistol. I pushed into the room. It was messy but I didn't see any obvious signs of a struggle.  
I sighed walking back out of the room.  
"It doesn't look like anything happened in there. I work in law enforcement so I'll find him. Don't worry, okay? What's your name?" I asked gently.  
"Tyler Larson." He told me.  
"If you hear from him, can you call me?" I asked handing him my business card.  
He nodded.  
"Thank you."  
I watched him run off toward the college before getting back into my car to return to the city.  
"Evan. I get that you're upset with me but it's Christmas and I'm worried about you. Please just call me back. I love you." I left a message on his voicemail before walking back into the precinct.  
"Do you trust Malcolm Bright, Detective Powell?" Colette asked Dani as I walked passed the door causing me to pause.  
"He has some weird habits, he's unconventional, but yes, I trust him." Dani answered.  
"Hmm."  
"Why?" She asked.  
"Because I don't. I don't think Malcolm has divulged the full extent of his relationship with our Junkyard Killer." Colette told her.  
"You don't need my help. You just want eyes on Bright. He would never let his personal interests get in the way of a case." Dani responded.  
"And can you say the same?"  
"Can you? Because I'm sensing that you came here to bury Bright. We're all on the same side, right?" Dani shot at her.  
"This is footage of the incident inside the transit tunnel. An old CCTV camera. Bright wrote in his report that there were no words exchanged between him and Paul Lazar. But they were together for two minutes and 28 seconds. Now, there's no audio, but it sure as hell looks like they're talking to me." Colette continued.  
"There's, um there's got to be an explanation." Dani said.  
"You're loyal, Detective. But don't let that blind you. Bright wasn't kicked out of the FBI for one incident. It was a pattern of being unconventional. Malcolm Bright is destructive. Don't let a man like that ruin your career." Colette said as I finally opened the door.  
"Colette. Give me a minute with Dani." I said firmly.  
"She's..."  
"That wasn't a request." I shot at her.  
She glared at me wordlessly as she left the room.  
"I couldn't help but overhear that conversation." I said sitting next to Dani.  
"Did you know that? That they talked in the tunnel?" She asked me.  
I nodded.  
"Gil and I decided that it was best not to include it in the report. It was strategic." I answered.  
"He's not involved in this?" She asked me.  
"No. Of course not." I assured her.  
"Okay. I just needed you to say that. I trust you and I trust him." She told me.  
"Good. We trust you too." I smiled at her.  
"Have you seen Malcolm?" I asked her.  
"A little less than an hour ago. He said he was late for his family's Christmas dinner."  
"Dammit. I completely forgot. If he was late an hour ago I'm really late now." I sighed.  
I glanced down at my ringing phone.  
"His mom." I told her.  
"Hello, Jessica." I answered.  
"Is Malcolm with you?" She asked me.  
"No? I just got back from trying to visit Evan. I was told he left the station to go to dinner."  
"He's not here." She told me.  
"Okay. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. I'll find him." I sighed.  
"Tell him I'm very upset he missed dinner."  
"I will."  
I hung up the phone.  
"I haven't found anything in the files yet." Ashlyn answered the phone.  
"New favor." I sighed.  
"Can you hack into the camera outside the police station from about an hour ago and find when Malcolm left?"  
"You're stalking your own boyfriend?" She teased.  
"Dani said that he left about an hour ago to go to his mom's Christmas dinner but she just called and said he didn't show up."  
"Okay. I'll find when he got off course." She assured me.  
"Give me a second."  
"He didn't make it to him mom's?" Dani asked.  
I shook my head.  
"I found it." Ashlyn said finally.  
"I'm sending the video to your phone now. There's audio."  
I pulled the video up while Dani watched over my shoulder.  
On the video Malcolm is walking along the sidewalk holding a box of pastries when a tall man with grey hair walked up behind him.  
"Hey. Malcolm Whitly. I always knew that you were a liar. And I didn't recognize you till I saw your hand. You can change your name, but you can't change who you are."  
"I'm not my father." Malcolm responded clearly uncomfortable.  
"Are you trying to convince me or trying to convince yourself? 'Cause if you're trying to convince me, save your breath! 'Cause I was right. There was someone else."  
"I know why you're angry. You dedicated your life to The Surgeon's case. You were right. I did know something. My father took me on a camping trip with The Junkyard Killer. All I have are-are fragments of a memory. Only The Surgeon and Paul Lazar know what happened, but my father is in solitary, and when I tried to find Paul, the FBI kicked me off the case for being too..." Malcolm ranted on the screen  
"Obsessed? Unhinged? Making it personal?"  
"Yes." He nodded.  
"I kind of know the feeling. Where are you in the Turner case?"  
"We think the killer has something to do with one of his old cases, but we haven't found anything yet." Malcolm visibly sighed.  
"Turner had a-a place where he kept everything that he didn't want to release to the official case files. I can take you there. Come on."  
Malcolm looked conflicted but ultimately followed him to a vehicle.  
"Dammit, Malcolm." I muttered.  
"Colette. Colette? The Junkyard Killer murdered Turner and Emily. Bright has a lead on him." Gil said walking into the common room at the same time Dani and I did.  
"What? Your boy's been working my case this entire time even though I explicitly told him not to? Where is he? Where is Bright right now?" She asked looking at me.  
"We don't know." Gil sighed.  
"Ashlyn. Can you ping, Malcolm's phone." I asked suiting up in an FBI bulletproof vest.  
"Malcolm's phone is pinging at an address belonging to a Matilda Watkins." Ashlyn told me almost immediately sensing my anxiety.  
"Give me the address. We're leaving now."  
"Bright still isn't picking up." Dani said as she rode shotgun in my car.  
"I have a bad feeling about this." Gil said over the coms.  
I did too but I couldn't say it out loud.  
We pulled up outside the small house lights flashing and sirens blaring.  
A small woman walked out of the house holding a shotgun. I watched her cautiously standing behind my vehicle with Dani. She didn't speak, just stood there holding the gun.  
"She's blind." I whispered to her.  
"Cover us." I glanced over at Gil who nodded.  
Dani followed me as we silently made our way around the back of the house.  
"Don't make a sound." I mouthed at her.  
I opened the back door as silently as I could, luckily the sirens were still blaring.  
Lying on the floor in the dining room was the body of Owen Shannon. The man I'd seen in the video with Malcolm. His throat had been cut. I checked his pulse and found none but his skin was still warm.  
I glanced up at Dani and shook my head indicating he was dead.  
Dani followed me to the front door. I placed my gun against the woman's head.  
"FBI. Put down the shotgun." I said steadily and firmly.  
Instantly she laid the gun down and Dani handcuffed her.  
I searched the house before making my way out to the shed behind the house.  
"Gil!" I called his name anxiously.  
On the cement floor of the shed was a smear of what looked like blood. Malcolm's phone was lying roughly fifteen feet to the left of the possible bloodstain and a gun laid underneath a table across the room.  
"Lily." Gil said my name coming into the shed.  
"It looks like blood." I looked up at him.  
I couldn't breathe. Where was Malcolm?  
"If it is blood it's not much. He's alive, Lily." He tried to assure me.  
"We don't know that."  
"Lily. Look at me. If he took him, he's alive. He hasn't been toying with him this long to just kill him."  
"We need to find him, Gil."  
"We will. We'll find him." He pulled me against his chest.  
It didn't take long before CSU and ESU were swarming around the property.  
I sighed as my phone rang.  
"Ashlyn?" I answered the phone harshly.  
I didn't have time for this.  
"Lily. I don't know how to tell you this but I want you to hear it from me. They found the bodies of Evan and Howard Rowland in the woods south of NYU an hour ago."  
I felt like someone knocked the breath out of me. Malcolm's missing and now Evan's dead.  
"There's something else."  
"I'm not sure I can handle anything else."  
"The lead agent on your stalker case is Colette Swanson. She's submitted reports expressing a possible link between the two serial murders."  
"She thinks the Junkyard Killer is the one who killed my parents, my brother, and now he has Malcolm?" I sighed angrily.  
"I'm so sorry, Lily."  
"Thank you, Ashlyn."  
I walked up to where Gil, Colette and JT were standing and sucker punched her square in the jaw. The corner of the ring Malcolm bought me sliced into her cheek, her blood staining the back of my hand.  
"If something happens to him and I find out you withheld information from me out of some jealousy twisted ego trip I will end your fucking career. Don't you dare forget who I am." I said steadily as she held her bleeding face.


	12. Alone

"When exactly were you going to tell me?" I asked maintaining my intensity.  
"Tell you what?" Colette shot back at me.  
"Don't play with me right now, Colette. When were you going to tell me you are also the lead agent on my stalker case?" I asked and Gil just looked at me, obviously digesting this information.  
"How about that you think that The Junkyard Killer is linked to my stalker? Did you not think that was something I and this team needed to know? Was it your idea to keep those letters from me, too?" I continued but she didn't answer me.  
"Tell them who I am. Go on. Tell them!" I yelled.  
"FBI Chief Dr. Lilian Russell."  
"And who does that make me?" I pushed.  
"My boss." She hissed.  
"You should know, Supervisory Special Agent Howard Rowland's body was found in the forest south of NYU along with my brother Evan's body and now Malcolm's missing." I told her and watched her visibly recoil from me as her eyes well with tears.  
Howard was Colette's boyfriend of six years.  
"He never should have trusted you!" She yelled at me stepping towards me aggressively.  
"Me? I'm not the one that was withholding information! Howard knew everything that I knew! What else haven't you told me?" I shot back at her not backing up.  
We stood chest to chest as she just looked at me pain coloring her face causing me to pause. I knew that look. It colored my face a fair amount since the start of the year.  
I sighed.  
"What did I tell you when we had our meeting before you even started working The Junkyard Killer case?" I asked softly.  
"We can't be enemies, Colette. People are dying and they're still dying but we can save Malcolm... if we work together. Howard trusted me and Malcolm."  
"I know he did." She sighed barely looking at me.  
"Then help me. Help me find him." I almost pleaded.  
After a long moment she nodded at me as my phone rang.  
"What have you got Ash?" I asked answering my phone walking out of the shed.  
"You aren't going to like this." She sighed.  
"So far I'm not liking today at all." I told her.  
"There's a camera in that shed. It's a live feed but I was able to hack in and go back to the time of Malcolm's abduction."  
I looked back into the shed instinctively.  
"You're right. I don't like this. Send it to me and track the signal? Find me where it's going."  
I motioned for the others to join me while I waited for the link to come through.  
"Close the door." I whispered.  
"Ashlyn found a camera with a live feed in the shed." I told them once JT closed the door.  
I looked down at my phone as it signaled that the link came in.  
"She was able to discover the exact time of the abduction." I looked up at Gil and cued up the video.  
"John. I know you're here." Malcolm's voice called off screen at time stamp 19:40.  
Malcolm pushed the door open with the unregistered gun we'd found under the table. A man I could only assume was Paul Lazar, came barely out of the shadows behind him knocking him to the ground, his head slammed against the ground, the gun flying out of his hand. The man pinned him down on the floor.  
"Remember me?" Paul asked looking down at him.  
I still couldn't see his face clearly.  
"They'll find you." Malcolm said quietly.  
John grabbed him by the front of his shirt pulling him up towards him.  
"They'll never find us where we're going."  
He punched Malcolm in the face knocking him unconscious. Paul disappeared back into the shadows before grabbing him by his ankles and dragging him away creating the blood smear I found when I entered the shed.  
The video stopped but my head was spinning. I was analyzing everything Paul had said and something stuck out to me.  
"They'll never find us where we're going."  
"Excuse me." I muttered walking away from them.  
"Lily?" Gil found me sitting on the front steps of the house minutes later.  
"I should have been here. If I'd been with him we'd have been at his mother's... Shit. We have to tell Jessica." I looked up at him.  
"Lily. We're going to find him." He tried to assure me.  
"How? How are we going to find him? We're almost two and a half hours behind them." I sighed checking the time on my phone.  
"Paul's underestimating you, Lily. You're smart and you know how to find him."  
"No? I don't know how to find him." I said as the hot tears fell down my face.  
"Of course you do, Lily. You are the best there is. If anyone can find him, it's you. We need to go talk to Jessica." He told me.  
"Okay." I sighed.  
"Gil. Lily. Is everything okay?" Jessica asked us when she answered the door in an elegant purple off the shoulder dress.  
"May we come inside?" Gil asked.  
"Of course." She stepped aside before gesturing us into the living room where Ainsley sat.  
"What's going on?" Ainsley asked looking at me.  
Gil started to speak but I stopped him. I needed to be the one to tell them.  
"Sit down with me, Jessica." I said as strongly as I could.  
"Lily. What is going on?" She asked me as we sat on the couch next to Ainsley.  
"At 7:40 tonight Malcolm was abducted, presumably by The Junkyard Killer, from the home of Matilda Watkins." I explained as gently as I could.  
"Wait... He's missing?" She asked me.  
"Yes." I answered fighting to contain my emotions.  
"Where were you?" She asked me, looking at me not with anger but with pain in her eyes.  
"Jessica..." Gil started.  
"No. Gil, it's okay." I sighed.  
"I drove up to NYU. Evan and I had been arguing since our parents died. They found Evan's body in the woods south of the school at 7:30 this evening." I explained.  
"He wanted you to fix it." She said referring once again to her son.  
"Yes. He did. I shouldn't have gone. I had this feeling when I went to leave. Anxiety... I even walked back to him, but..." I sighed.  
"Lily. This isn't on you. I know you'll find him." She told me and Ainsley reached over her mother and took my hand.  
"There was a video of the abduction. The Junkyard Killer said, 'No one will find us where we're going.'. I know it's going to be hard but I need you to do something for me. I need you to try to remember anything and everything you can about the camping trip Martin took Malcolm on right before he was arrested." I looked up at her.  
"Will it help find him?" She asked me.  
"It might. Paul told Malcolm that he was there on the trip. I think he might have taken him back to the campsite they went to back then." I explained.  
She nodded at me.  
"I'm going to do everything I can to find him." I assured her.  
"We know, Lily." Ainsley found her voice.  
Gil and I left Jessica's and despite my protests he decided that we needed to stop by Malcolm's apartment.  
"We're not going to find anything useful here." I sighed, my heart aching as we walked into his apartment.  
"Maybe. Maybe not." Gil answered a step behind me.  
On the counter was one of Malcolm's daily affirmation cards and a small black box.  
I picked up the card, I release and forgive myself for my mistakes.  
I closed my eyes to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over.  
Instinctively, I picked up the little black box and pulled off the top.  
"Lily, wait..." Gil called once he noticed me but it was too late.  
Inside the box was a sparkling platinum diamond ring. My fingers shook as I raised them to touch the three diamonds, a large center stone flanked by two slightly smaller stones. Simple, elegant, perfect.  
"Is this...?" I looked over at Gil.  
"I didn't know he'd had it out." He sighed.  
I replaced the lid on the box and set it gently back on the counter.  
"You're not going to..." Gil started.  
"He'll ask when he's ready." I answered not looking back at him.  
"We'll find him, Lily."  
I didn't speak on our way back to the station.  
"Lily..." Gil said my name when he parked the car.  
"Hmm..." I answered looking over at him.  
"I think you should know that he showed me that ring the first time in January of 2014."  
"He left at the end of January 2015." I sighed.  
"I know. He scared himself; convinced himself that there's no way you'd say yes." He told me.  
"We have to find him, Gil." I sighed.  
"We will."  
"My Johnnie takes out the trash! He's in here! He's going to get you!" Matilda Watkins screamed from the interrogation room when Gil and I walked into the station.  
"What does that mean?" I asked Dani as I walked into the viewing room.  
"From what I can tell she's just repeating what she yelled when Paul arrived and was after Bright."  
"Is it terrible that I want to kill the old hag?" I asked.  
"No. Not at all. From what it sounds like she called him to come home when Bright and Shannon arrived and now Bright's missing and Shannon's dead. She's just as responsible as he is." She told me as we watched her.  
"We could charge her with conspiracy to commit murder for Shannon and conspiracy to commit kidnapping for Malcolm for now but that doesn't get us any closer to finding him." I sighed.  
"She's not going to tell us anything." Dani said.  
"No, she isn't." I sighed.  
"How do we find him?" Gil asked me as I walked into his office.  
"We have to find the cabin. I'd bet that's where he's taken him." I sighed as my cellphone rang.  
"Yeah." I answered.  
"Paul's real name is John Watkins. He's the grandson of Matilda Watkins, the owner of the house. Father unknown. Mother Deceased from a massive heroin overdose and she had multiple arrests for prostitution. I'd put my money on one of her John's being his father." Ashlyn told me.  
"Hence the name." I sighed.  
"Here's why I actually called. Grandfather Benjamin, Matilda's husband, was crushed under a car with only John present. It was ruled an accident."  
"Victim Zero." I sighed.  
"Do me a favor? Do a deep dive on the grandparents and both names we have for John. I want everything you can find. Especially secluded properties." I asked.  
"There's something else."  
"I don't think I can handle anything else."  
"I know but you need to hear it." She told me, her voice sounded strange.  
"They gave Bryce bail. One million. His mom got him out."  
"Of course she did." I sighed now understanding why her voice sounded off.  
"That was the twenty third."  
"Wonderful. Malcolm's missing, Evan's dead, now Bryce is out on bail."  
"I'm sorry, Lily. I'll call you back when I have something." She told me.  
"Thank you, Ashlyn."  
"We'll find him, Lily."  
"Are you okay?" Gil asked me once I hung up the phone.  
"I can't even begin to process this right now. We just need to find Malcolm. I'll deal with the rest after." I sighed.  
We walked into the conference room where Dani, JT, Colette, and Edrisa waited for us. I sighed heavily looking around at the faces before me. Everyone was constantly assuring me that we'd find him but ultimately that fell on my shoulders. Gil and I were the superior officers and the others would have to follow our lead.  
I took a deep breath before telling them about what Ashlyn told me.  
"I hate to be the one to ask this but how do we know Watkins' going to keep him alive?" Edrisa asked quietly.  
"John's MO tells us that." Colette offered.  
"He holds his victims for roughly nine days before killing them and Malcolm has a connection to him. I'm sorry Lily, but he'll want to take his time with him and will likely hold him longer."  
I nodded. It hurt me to hear that but I knew she was right.  
"We would classify John Watkins as a mixed offender/force predator killer." Colette continued after a significant pause.  
"Essentially that means he's a planner of average intelligence but his employment history and social standing are unstable to say the least making it nearly impossible to categorize him as either an organized or disorganized killer." I added finally regaining my voice.  
"How does this help us find Bright?" JT asked.  
"It tells us who John is and how he operates and hopefully where he's taken Bright. It's all psychological." Colette said.  
"He bought the junkyard so he would have a secluded place to... to torture his victims." I choked out shaking my head.  
I took another deep breath.  
"I want JT and Colette to look into property records in New York. Span the whole state. Any secluded cabins bought from 1993 to 1998. We know the camping trip happened from Friday November twenty seventh to Sunday November twenty ninth of 1998. I have asked Ashlyn to perform what I call a deep dive on the names of both of John's grandparents as well as his two aliases."  
"How do we know that he'll take Bright there?" Dani asked.  
"Educated guess. Ever since we discovered The Junkyard Killer's killing ground he and Malcolm have been playing a cat and mouse game focusing on what happened during that camping trip... The best way to force him to remember it is to take him there. Jar his memory that way." I explained.  
"Isn't it a little on the nose?" Colette asked.  
"Maybe but it's our best lead right now." I sighed.  
"Dani, come here." I called gently once I was alone in the conference room.  
"Yeah, Lily."  
"Come sit down for a minute." I sighed.  
"Gil and I made a decision about that video with John and Malcolm in the tunnel. A unilateral decision without considering how it would affect the team especially you. I was there when you took care of him at his apartment. I know you care about him and it was unfair of us to withhold this video." I told her after she sat down next to me.  
I cued up the video on my laptop and hit play.  
"Paul?" Malcolm's voice called as he came into the frame.  
A dark silhouette came out of the shadows behind him, punching him and slamming him into the turnstile trapping him between the bars.  
"Let's see, little Malcolm. Will they come for you?" Paul's voice said calmly.  
"Nobody's coming. I'm here alone." Malcolm answered.  
"Why did you follow without calling your friends?" Paul asked inquisitively.  
"I didn't have time." Malcolm answered.  
Paul pushed on the bars crushing Malcolm between them.  
"Liar. Why?"  
"Because I want answers."  
"Hmm. You sound like your dad. Look like him. You even smell like him. I could crush you like I crushed the others. But first, I want to know how you did it. How did you figure out where I kept that filthy junkie?" Paul continued crushing Malcolm.  
"I'm a profiler. It's my job."  
"No. More than that. Tell me. Tell me how you did it or I will grind you."  
"You told me I "interrupted" you. That's all I needed."  
"There's more. There's more to it. I know it. How did you know?" Paul pulled on the opposite side of the turnstile increasing the pressure on Malcolm.  
"Because we're the same! My dad and I he-he told me all he knew about murder. That's how I know how you think. I'm my father's son."  
"Yeah. Some things you cannot teach. It's in your blood. There's hope for you yet."  
"W-What happened with the girl?"  
"I thought I was gonna have to kill you. But maybe you deserve to know. Wait for my instructions, tonight. Bring your pretty girlfriend."  
Less than a minute after Malcolm collapsed on the ground just outside the turnstile I ran up to him and crouched beside him.  
I ended the video and turned to look at her.  
"That's when we went to Fort Trotten?" She asked me.  
I nodded.  
"He was playing him?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Bright was playing John?"  
"Mostly. Yes. There is a part of him that really needs to know what happened to that woman he found and on that camping trip. This has plagued him for over twenty years. While he knows that John isn't a reliable source, it's more than his father is giving him. His first priority has and always will be to find justice for the victims." I tried to explain.  
"I get it. I worked undercover for two years. It can get personal. I've watched him work. Even during this case he obtained an incredible level of professionalism I didn't expect. It clearly shook him but he was still on it." She nodded at me.  
"Do you have tremors too?" She asked me suddenly.  
"Not the same way he does." I sighed looking at my trembling hand.  
"It's just a lot to deal with it all at once."  
"I can't even begin to imagine. First, Malcolm goes missing. Then, you find out Evan was murdered."  
"And now my abusive ex is out of jail on bail." I sighed.  
"Damn, Lily." She muttered.  
"I need a drive." I stood up.  
"To where?" She asked.  
"No where in particular." I sighed.  
"I'll go with you."  
"That's unnecessary."  
"Bright asked me to look out for you if you were under a lot of stress and he couldn't be here for you."  
I felt the tears stinging behind my eyes again as the pain and anger rose up in my chest. I screamed out as I flipped the table. I heard the footsteps of various agents and officers rushing to the room and vaguely I heard Dani turn them away but I was preoccupied throwing things against walls. I didn't know what I was throwing; I didn't care. I felt so angry and helpless.  
It was now after six in the morning. Nearly twelve hours since Malcolm's abduction and we were still no closer to finding him.  
I don't know how long I threw things around the conference room and when I stopped it wasn't because I wasn't angry or scared anymore but because I was exhausted. I didn't even have the energy to really cry. Silent tears streamed down my face as I sat amongst the rubble.  
"Lily?" Dani said my name gently sitting down next to me.  
It wasn't that I didn't want to answer her but I couldn't. All I could do was stare at the wall for a long while my mind continued racing and reeling.  
"Why was he worried about you?" Dani asked me after awhile.  
"After Bryce tried to kill me I started cutting myself. Apparently, it isn't my only destructive behavior." I sighed looking around the room.  
"Gil's done worse on a bad case." She nudged me gently offering me a supportive smile.  
I chuckled humorlessly. It didn't surprise me to hear that. Gil was extremely passionate about his work, not unlike myself and even Malcolm.  
"We're all here for you, Lily. We are going to find him. Together." She tried to assure me.  
I nodded and sighed.  
"We have to find him... Soon."  
"We will."  
"Wait... I have an idea." I scrambled to my feet.  
"Gil." I said his name walking into his office.  
"We need to go see Dr. Martin Whitly."  
"How? He's in solitary?" Gil asked standing up.  
"And I'm the Chief of the FBI's New York field office. I have the Director's personal cellphone number, and the personal phone number for the President of the United States on my speed dial. I can get us in. Dr. Whitly is the only one that can tell us definitively where this cabin is." I pushed.  
Gil seemingly thought about it for a moment.  
"Fine, but you have to let me talk to him first." He said.  
"If you go in there and confront him he'll just toy with you and we won't get anywhere. He can't stand me. He'll challenge me. You'll be a reprieve." He continued when I opened my mouth to object.  
I nodded relunctantly. I knew he was right. If we were going to get Dr. Whitly to reveal the location of the cabin, we needed to play this smart.  
Warden Logan Smith was a stoic man who stood six foot seven inches tall. He had a square face with a narrow nose and small lips with hooded brown eyes. His short dark brown hair slicked back.  
"You know I can't let you in there Dr. Russell." He sighed at me.  
"It's Chief Russell. I don't want to have to call Director Johnston this morning. You know he went on vacation with his wife and son this holiday season but I'm sure he'd be interested to know about your unwillingness to help us save the life of a former FBI agent."  
"You can't just call the director of the FBI..." He scoffed at me.  
"Oh? Did you forget who I am? Lilian Russell? Daughter of Todd and Stacy Russell? My father was the Director's best friend. He was at their funeral last month."  
Warden Smith just looked at me.  
"No matter. I'll just give him a call." I pulled my phone out of my pocket.  
"No. No need for that Chief Russell. Right this way." He amended.  
I looked over at Gil.  
"Lieutenant Arroyo is going to start the questioning. I'd like to stay out of sight to start." I explained.  
"Is there a reason for that?" Smith asked me.  
"I've been here with Malcolm before. We believe that if I go in and confront him that he'll just mislead us." I answered.  
"You're probably right." He nodded understandingly.  
Smith lead me to the solitary confinement viewing room before letting Gil into the room with Dr. Whitly.  
"It's not time for my medications, Mr. David." Dr. Whitly said with his back to the door.  
When Gil didn't respond he turned around and tilted his head to the side.  
"Officer Arroyo? To what do I owe this displeasure?"


	13. Time

"It's Lieutenant Arroyo now, Dr. Whitly." Gil answered maintaining his composure.  
"Oh, I know. What was it Detective Shannon called you all those years ago? Lucky boy? That was it." Dr. Whitly smirked at him.  
I watched Gil's face as he considered reacting to the doctor's words and thought better of it.  
"I'm not here to reminisce with you, Dr. Whitly. I'm here to talk about John Watkins."  
"So, Malcolm figured out his name. That didn't take too long. What was the final piece that put it all together? Where is Malcolm?" Dr. Whitly looked around the room as if for the first time.  
"I said I'm here to talk about Watkins. If you want to stay out of that hole they pulled you from, I can't be the only one talking." Gil snapped at him.  
"Fine, fine. So, how many lives has he taken?" Dr. Whitly asked.  
"We've confirmed nineteen. Not as many as you." Gil sighed.  
"Nineteen's nothing to be sneezed at. It's what they call a serial killer's dozen. Oh, God Uh, have they, um have they named him yet?"  
Watching Dr. Whitly stumble over his words was odd for me. Solitary confinement had done him no favors.  
"The Junkyard Killer. I need to know where you went..."  
"I'm sorry The Junkyard Killer? Yikes." Dr. Whitly interrupted him.  
"When I said you needed to talk, this is not what I meant." Gil chanced a look in my direction.  
"Forgive me. You probably need help with a a profile. Well, uh the junkyard was a mislead, of course. John hated getting his hands dirty. I mean, for a man who once took his pleasure with human cadavers, he was fastidious."  
Human cadavers? Of course the forensic psychiatrist in me who was in a serious relationship with a criminal profiler was interested in what he could tell us about who John Watkins is but...  
"I don't need a profile, I need location specifics." Gil was losing his patience.  
I'd have to step in soon enough.  
"Of course, profiling is more Malcolm's thing. Isn't it? Is Malcolm listening to this conversation? You-you wired up? Hello! My boy!" Dr. Whitly exclaimed.  
"Where did you go with Watkins? We need to find his killing grounds." Gil pushed again.  
"I understand, we've we've been, uh, you know, through some stuff, but I-I I can still help you. And your sister. I mean, your mom's probably a harder sell. Where is my boy?" Dr. Whitly approached Gil as he spoke.  
"You don't get to choose who questions you." Gil said.  
I could see the pain in Gil's eyes as he glanced back towards me.  
"No, but I can choose who gets the answers. Where is my boy?" The tone of Dr. Whitly's voice changed.  
It was dark and almost accusatory. It seethed with hatred.  
"John Watkins has him." Gil admitted.  
"No. He No." Dr. Whitly shook his head staring at Gil.  
"I need your help, Dr. Whitly. Roughly 12 hours ago, Malcolm was kidnapped by Watkins. We don't know where he is."  
"He's If John has him, he's dead. He's dead." My heart shattered at his words.  
I didn't believe that. I couldn't.  
"Focus. We are running out of time." Gil pleaded.  
"No, there's no time. It's over, my son is gone."  
Dr. Whitly collapsed to the ground almost seizing.  
I got up and rushed towards the room.  
"Mr. David, get medical!" Gil called slamming his hand against the door.  
"I'm a doctor. Move." I pushed my way passed Mr. David and crouched next to Dr. Whitly.  
"Dr. Whitly. Dr. Whitly? Martin! Look at me!" I grabbed his face in my hands rougher than I would with Malcolm.  
"Calm down. You're having a panic attack. Breathe." I pushed.  
Orderly Omar and Mr. David helped me get Dr. Whitly to sit on the edge of the bed.  
"This will help, Dr. Whitly." Omar said injecting him with a medication.  
"Oh, benzodiazepines, my old friend. Thank you, Omar. Thank you, Mr. David. Dr. Russell? It's true, isn't it?" He asked me.  
"Yes. It is." I nodded.  
"Martin? Martin, I don't have a lot of time and neither does Malcolm. Was there a cabin that you visited with Watkins?" Gil asked from behind me.  
I glanced back at him, the way he looked at me... I knew they were already heading somewhere.  
"You still think Malcolm's alive? Omar, we may need some benzos for my friend here. It's over."   
"No. Malcolm's a gutsy kid with one of the sharpest minds I've ever known. You might not have any faith in him, but I do." Gil said calmer than I could imagine myself being in that moment.  
"How you yearn for it. To be his father. That's why you brought him into the NYPD, right? Cared for him? Huh?"  
Malcolm viewed Gil as a surrogate father and had for almost the entire twenty years of their friendship. I knew it. Gil knew it, and it seemed now like Martin knew it too.  
"I did a hell of a lot more for him than you ever did." Gil hissed.  
"Well, you certainly got him killed. And, oh, if you'd been a good boy and drank up your cup of tea that night, Malcolm would still be alive."  
"He's not dead!" I lost it.  
I lashed out and smacked him in the face. He grabbed my wrist roughly.  
"If you knew John Watkins like I do you'd think otherwise." He growled at me.  
"Go ahead! Hurt me! Do it! Then help me find Malcolm!" I screamed at him.  
"I owe Malcolm my life. I'm not giving up on him." Gil pushed.  
"Oh, yeah, you two got a real bond. What else did you do to try to replace me? I smelled my wife's perfume on that cheap coat. You're not worthy of a woman like her. She must have felt sorry for you... Or angry at me."  
"That is enough." I cautioned him.  
"Focus on the cabin. Watkins could have taken Malcolm there, and he's smart enough to stay alive. You know that." I pushed.  
"Well, that's-that's true. I mean, Malcolm is resourceful, after all. He is." Martin nodded at me.  
"Yeah. He is. Now, where would John hold him?" I asked gently.  
"The cabin is in Black River. I'll give you the coordinates."  
43.999294,-75.812064 He wrote on my pad of paper.  
"This is where you went all those years ago?" I verified.  
He nodded.  
"Find my son, Lilian." He finally looked at me.  
"We will." I nodded.  
Outside the cell I handed the paper to Gil.  
"Give them these coordinates. If he's out there and I'm not there to get him..." I shook my head.  
"I'm not sure he is. It seems too easy." Gil shook his head.  
"I hate wasting time." I sighed leaning against the wall.  
"I know. We just have to wait and see if he's out there. It's too long of a drive for us to join them." He tried unsuccessfully to soothe me.  
"It's better for us to be here in case he isn't there."  
Waiting almost killed me. The minutes felt like hours and the hours felt like days.  
Then Gil's phone rang.  
"He's not. Okay. Thank you Dani." He sighed.  
"He's not there?" I phrased it as a question but in my heart I already knew he wasn't.  
Gil and I raced through the hallways back to the cell.  
"Mr. David, wait. The cabin was a dead end." Gil pushed into the room while I paused at the door.  
My heart was racing. I felt like I couldn't breathe.  
"They didn't find him?" Martin asked weakly.  
"No. If there's anything else you... Martin? Hey. Hey, Martin? I need you to focus. Where would he be?" Gil pushed.  
Suddenly, Martin zeroed in on me.  
"I know where Watkins took my boy. He's gonna kill them all." He told me.  
"No."  
Suddenly, I knew where he was. I should have put it together sooner.  
I'd never ran so fast in my life. Out to my car, flipping on my siren and driving at brake neck speeds to Jessica's house leaving Gil behind. There wasn't time to wait.  
Outside the house the paparazzi and reporters seemed to have multiplied since the last time I was here.  
I pushed my way through, flashing my badge with my pistol still in it's holster at my side. I made a show of unlocking the door and pushing my way in. I closed the door and pulled my gun flipping the safety and taking a small moment to listen. The only place Malcolm could be would be the basement but if Martin was right then John Watkins could be anywhere in the house and if he was away from Malcolm, chasing after Jessica or Ainsley then that was where Malcolm would want me to go.  
Then I heard it. A crash upstairs. Holding my pistol in front of me I raced up the stairs towards the sound.  
I barely caught sight of a man walking into Jessica's bedroom holding what appeared to be an axe.  
As I approached the bedroom an axe swung out of the doorway and the side of the head struck me in the chest knocking me to the floor.  
My breath rushed out of me and my gun flew out of my hand as my head hit the floor. As a man with wild eyes and an odd looking mustache came into focus with the axe raised over his head I managed to roll out of the path of his swinging axe and lashing out to kick his legs out from under him.   
I pushed myself up to my feet and rushed into the bedroom. I heard him follow me and ducked out of the way as he slammed the axe into the door.  
I heard Jessica scream. My head spun momentarily and I managed to raise my hand to the back of my head. My fingers came away bloody.  
Watkins looked through the broken door panel at her.  
"The police are on their way you psycho!" She screamed at him.  
Watkins turned and rushed at me again slamming me against the wall the handle of his axe pressed against my throat.  
"Get out of my house if you want to stay alive!" She screamed at him.  
She didn't know he was preoccupied with me or likely that I was even here.  
I grabbed ahold of the other side of the handle to push back against him.  
"Watkins!" Malcolm's voice called from somewhere in the house.  
"Malcolm!" Jessica called his name as Watkins pressed the handle harder against my throat. I was weak with blood loss as blood continued to poor out of the back of my head.  
"I know you're here! This is my house! My family!"  
"He's coming for you." I chuckled weakly.  
Watkins knocked me to the floor.  
"Do you hear that? That's my son, and he's coming for you." Jessica growled at him.  
I forced myself to my feet again after Watkins walked out of the room.  
"Jess?" I called her name leaning against the bathroom door.  
"Lily!" She called my name.  
She pulled the door open and I almost fell into the bathroom.  
"Are you okay?" She asked me.  
"I will be." I sighed.  
She pulled a towel out of the cabinet and pressed it to the back of my head.  
"Ah..." I groaned.  
"Check on Ainsley. I'm okay." I urged taking the .  
Ainsley looked as if she'd lost consciousness, blood soaking the side of her face.  
"Both of you stay here." Jessica told us after checking on her daughter.  
She grabbed a pair of scissors and walked out of the bathroom cautiously.  
I knelt before Ainsley and held her towel to her wound as well as my own.  
"Oh God." I heard her say drawing my attention.  
"We're safe." I heard Malcolm's voice and sighed.  
"Watch the hand." He said painfully.  
"What happened? Are you okay?" She asked her son.  
"I'm alive." He answered vaguely.  
"Oh Where's Watkins? Is he.. Did you..." She asked  
"No. But he'll never be able to hurt us again."  
"Ainsley, go." I helped her stand and urged her into the bedroom towards her brother dropping the towels.  
Eventually I leaned against the bathroom door jam, watching them embracing him.  
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he looked over at me.  
"Lily..." He muttered my name.  
Jessica and Ainsley let him walk over to me.  
I laid my hand gently on his chest and looked up into his face.  
Everything I wanted to say to him sounded so stupid in my head.  
He was bleeding from a small cut on his head, likely the source of the blood on the floor in the shed.  
"I'm so sorry." I whispered touching the mass amount of blood covering his side.  
"No, Lily. You have nothing to be sorry for." He pulled me towards him with his right hand.  
"What happened to your hand?" I asked wrapping my arms around him.  
"Shh..." He sighed.  
"Just hold me."  
I felt his shoulders sag against me before his body was racked with his sobs.  
I could feel the dull ache from the axe strike in my chest as he held me to him but I couldn't bare to push him off me. All I wanted was to have him as close to me as possible, no amount of pain could change that.  
I heard Gil's voice from downstairs but couldn't make out the words.  
"Are you okay?" Malcolm asked me seemingly noticing the blood that soaked my back.  
"I will be. We need to get you and your sister to the hospital." I nudged him.  
He nodded as Gil rushed into the bedroom.  
"Lean on him. I'm right behind you." I urged.  
Jessica helped Ainsley down the stairs and Gil helped Malcolm as I walked behind them trying desperately to focus on not falling down the stairs but being unable to help myself from noticing that the stain on Malcolm's side was growing darker.  
"He's bleeding." I told the paramedic as Gil lifted him up onto the stretcher.  
Suddenly, Malcolm started seizing on the stretcher.  
"Malcolm." I said his name, my own voice sounded strangled.  
Ainsley and Jessica clung to one another as the paramedics began working on him.  
"His vitals are tanking." The paramedic said ripping his shirt open, the gaping wound in the side of his chest bleeding heavily.  
My heart nearly stopped as I stood next to Gil watching them work on him.  
"You're going to have to ride up front, Dr. Russell. We've got to get going. Now." He told me signaling his partner to move upfront to drive and beginning compressions on Malcolm.  
"I've been to medical school. I can help." I insisted climbing up into the back of the ambulance.  
"We'll meet you at the hospital." Gil said shutting the doors.  
I watched him lead Jessica and Ainsley over to his car to follow the ambulance.  
"He's not breathing. I need you to bag him." Paramedic Phillips told me.  
As afraid as I was, my love for him and my need for him to live pushed me into action as we rushed to Samaria Medical Hospital.  
When we arrived Malcolm was still unconscious but his vitals were stable and he was breathing. My hands trembled covered in a mixture of our blood as I watched them wheel him into emergency surgery.  
"Lily." Gil called my name as he rushed into the Emergency Room with Ainsley and Jessica.  
"He's in emergency surgery. The wound in his side was worse than I'd noticed. He might have some internal bleeding and that could have been the cause of the seizing." I explained as calmly as I could.  
"Have you seen a doctor?" Jessica asked me.  
"I can't." I shook my head.  
"Lily. He's in surgery. There's nothing you can do. You know he wants you to take care of yourself." She told me softly.  
"I'm going to be right here waiting for news." Gil assured me.  
I nodded reluctantly.   
Within minutes I was in a hospital bed and Dr. Andrews set my ribs and sternum the best she could.  
"You also have a pretty serious concussion. With this amount of blood loss I'm surprised you were still standing when you walked in. I'm prescribing you some tramadol for the pain but you have to take it easy." She told me as she stapled the back of my head back together  
"I'm not leaving here without Malcolm so I'm pretty sure that'll be fine." I sighed and winced.  
Ainsley's wound didn't need stitches or staples and she was also prescribed medication for the pain.  
The rest of the team arrived less than an hour after I'd been released from the hospital and taken my place next to Jessica.  
"For Malcolm Bright?" A man in a pair of dark blue scrubs called.  
"Yes." I said automatically as the rest of the team surrounded us.  
Jessica didn't seem to mind my slip. She was his mother. She's the one he should deliver the news to. She just stood right next to me with her hand gently on my shoulder. I reached up and laid my hand on hers  
"I'm Dr. Flint and I preformed Mr. Bright's emergency surgery. The wound in his side barely missed the left lung and caused the internal bleeding. We were able to stop the bleeding and he's likely to make a full recovery. He'll need rest but depending on how he does when he wakes up, he should be able to go home Sunday or Monday." He told us.  
I sighed and shook his hand.  
"Thank you doctor."  
I sat in the chair next to Malcolm's hospital bed with his right hand sandwiched in between mine and my forehead pressed against his fingers. I knew I should sleep while he does but every neuron in my body was on fire. I could hardly breathe. Adrenaline mixed with my broken ribs and cracked sternum, I imagined. I felt the tears stinging my eyes again.  
Yes he was alive. Yes he was safe. That wasn't the case even seven hours ago when he had to square off with John Watkins.  
My heart pounded at the memory of the sound of his voice echoing through the house.  
"What are you thinking about?" He whispered, his voice like my favorite song I hadn't heard in too long.  
I looked up at him and offered him a small and clearly unconvincing smile as a tear ran down my cheek.  
"Lily. Baby, I'm sorry." He whispered squeezing my hand.  
"No, Malcolm. I'm sorry. I was in that house and I had no idea." I sighed pressing my lips to his fingers curled around mine.  
"We've lived in that house for my entire life and we didn't know that room was there. This isn't on you. Is my mother here?" He asked.  
I nodded.  
"And Ainsley, and everyone else. We're all here."  
"Have you slept?" He asked me.  
I shook my head.  
"You need to." He told me gently  
He didn't even know how bad my injuries were, he just knew I didn't function as well as he did without sleep.  
"I can't. Not yet." I leaned back keeping his hand in one of mine.  
"Why not?" He asked.  
"I can't calm down. My heart hasn't stopped pounding since Christmas Day. I need to tell you something. God, more than one something and I don't even know where to start."  
"Wherever you need to. I want to know everything. You know that."  
"Evan's dead. Bryce was released on bail on the twenty third and no one bothered to tell me or anyone else. Colette was the one running point on my stalker case and John Watkins' case and submitted reports linking them together. When I found out, I punched her in the face. Hard. I destroyed the conference room." I rambled without looking up at him.  
"Wait. Wait. Lily, Evan's dead?" He pulled gently on my hand drawing my attention.  
"Yeah. Edrisa did the autopsy. He died, same as the others, on December fourteenth. Eleven days before I even went up there." I sighed finally looking up at him.  
"They found his body along with Supervisory Special Agent Howard Rowland."  
"Colette's boyfriend?" He asked.  
I nodded again.  
"I threw it in her face. Not my finest moment. We were standing in that shed and your blood was on the floor. Ashlyn told me that he was gone and that Colette was withholding information from me. I punched her and threw his death in her face."  
"Your emotions were running high" He sighed.  
"It was still wrong."  
"Maybe but she helped bring it on herself. We all have to work together. There can't be secrets like that." He sighed.  
"Speaking of secrets... I have a major concussion, four broken ribs, and a cracked sternum." I confessed.  
"He hurt you..."  
"He hit me with an axe." I nodded.  
"I hit my head when I hit the floor. Considering he swung an axe at me I'm fairly lucky it isn't worse."  
He looked away from me for a long while.  
"I should call the doctor." I sighed moving to stand.  
"No." He looked back at me his grip on my hand tightened.  
"Not yet, please." His eyes wide with fear and glossy with tears.  
"Okay, baby. Okay." I smoothed back his hair.  
"I love you." He whispered.  
"I love you too. More than anything." I leaned down and pressed my lips gently to his.  
"I'm so sorry. I should have been here. I never should have left."  
"You didn't know he was dead. There's no way you could have known that. None of this is your fault." He assured me gently.  
I looked down at his hand. He'd broken the bone just under his thumb. He'd be in the black cast for at least three weeks.  
As expected Gil and I were able to take Malcolm home Sunday evening.  
"Where's your car?" Malcolm asked me as we settled into Gil's backseat.  
"It's parked outside your mom's house. I rode in the back of the ambulance running your code." I explained.  
He nodded thoughtfully.  
We arrived at my apartment at roughly six in the evening. Gil helped me help Malcolm up into the apartment.  
"You sure you're okay?" He asked me as I walked him back out to the car.  
"Of course. I talked to Jessica and she'll be over in the morning to check on him, and I'm still sidelined too with my own injuries." I smiled at him.  
"I'll be back as often as I can." He gently kissed my forehead.  
"Thank you."  
He smiled and got into his car. I knew he wouldn't drive away until I was inside. At my front door I turned around and waved before stepping over the threshold and shutting the door as my cellphone rang.  
Edrisa  
"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed when I answered the phone.  
"For what?" I asked my head starting to hurt.  
Damn concussion.  
"The 10,000 piece full body puzzle with all the body systems? It says from Bright and Lily?" She said quizzically.   
"I'm sure he told me and I just forgot. Would you like to talk to him?" I asked.  
"Can I? How is he doing?" She asked.  
"We're home so that's positive. Let me make sure he's awake but of course you can talk to him. Just remember he's been through a lot so if he gets short he's just tired." I reminded her.  
I walked into the living room and found Malcolm browsing through the multiple recordings we had on the TV.  
"Baby? It's Edrisa. She wants to talk to you." I told him handing him my phone.  
"Oh, okay." He told me taking the phone.  
"Hello?" He answered the phone.  
I left him alone to his conversation to hunt for my tramadol prescription which I was sure I set on the counter when we'd got home. I found it on the floor under the counter and took two with some water before returning to the living room to cuddle with Malcolm.  
"She's really sweet." He told me handing me back my phone which had an unread text message on it.  
"She is. She cares about you." I told him leaning against his right side.  
"She cares about you too."  
I opened the message from JT.  
Thanks for the gift cards. It's really too much. $500 for bowling, laser tag, mini golf and an escape room? Too much. >;) His message read.  
Malcolm and I are sorry for crashing your date. Have fun with Tally. ;) I answered.  
"Next time tell me about the gifts so I don't seem like an idiot for not knowing what they're talking about." I teased Malcolm.  
"I didn't?" He asked.  
I glared playfully at him.  
"I got you something too." He smiled at me.  
"Is that so?"  
He nodded and looked over at the Christmas tree that still stood in the living room.  
I looked at him before standing up and looking under the tree. I found a relatively large blue jewelry box.  
I sat back down next to him as my phone rang again.  
Dani  
"Where did you guys even find this teapot?" She asked when I answered putting the phone on speaker.  
"I know a guy." Malcolm said mysteriously winking at me.  
"Of course you do. It's so good to hear your voice." I could hear the smile in her voice.  
"Is it safe to make the tea in?"   
"Of course it is." He laughed wincing silently.  
"Thank you. Really."  
She hung up likely to make her tea.  
"No more laughing for you." I glared at him.  
"You either." He glared back.  
"Come on. Open it." He motioned to the jewelry box.  
"You know I got you something too? I never ended up wrapping it."  
"Open first then I'll open mine."  
I looked up at him and his eyes shined with rare excitement.  
It hadn't been lost on me that when I'd step out of the room while the doctors ran tests or changed his bandages that his eyes darkened with fear and anxiety. Something bad happened while John held him. Something more psychological than physical but when I was next to him he seemed normal. Malcolm normal anyway.  
I opened the box. Inside was a platinum necklace with a diamond knot pendant and a small blue card that read, For the center of my world. I love you, Lilian, in Malcolm's handwriting.  
I touched the pendant gingerly.  
"It's beautiful, Malcolm." I looked up at him as a rare joyful tear fell from my eye.  
"Thank you. Will you help me fasten it?" I asked pulling the necklace out of the box and turning so he could fasten the necklace for me.  
I turned back to him and touched the necklace again.  
"I love you." I leaned forward and kissed him.  
I felt his hand rest on the side of my neck as he kissed me deeply.  
"My turn." He smiled at me once our kiss broke.  
"Yes, it is. I'll be right back." I smiled.  
I got up and got the shipping box out of my office.  
He opened the box. Inside was a Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch.  
"This is incredible!" He exclaimed happily.  
He'd talked for months about getting a smartwatch but not wanting it to be digital.  
"The best part is the tracker it has in it." I teased.  
"We both know I need that." He smiled back at me handing me the watch so I could fasten it on his right wrist over his bruises where it would likely sit until he was out of the cast.  
"Looks great." I smiled.  
"How are you feeling?" I asked.  
"Good actually. The pain is minimal and I have you by my side so I feel safe. How are you?" He took my hand gently.  
"I'm okay. It only hurts when I breathe." I smiled and he glared at me again.  
"In all seriousness, the pain medication helps and I'll heal in no time." I squeezed his hand.  
"I'm sorry he hurt you." He whispered.  
"I knew what I was doing when I walked into that house. I knew the dangers. I also knew I could handle anything if it meant your family would be safe and we'd be able to bring you home." I told him gently.  
"I love you, Lilian." He smiled sadly at me.  
"I love you, Malcolm." I leaned forward and kissed him again before we settled in to watch some true crime show and fall asleep.


	14. New Years Engagement

I'd left Malcolm a note before leaving the next morning after Jessica arrived to keep an eye on him. I drove as calmly as I could back to Claremont Psychiatric Hospital to see Dr. Martin Whitly.  
"I can give you ten minutes. His solitary confinement isn't over yet." Warden Logan Smith told me.  
"I just want him to know what happened after our meeting last week." I assured him.  
"That's surprisingly kind of you." He remarked.  
"It might have ended differently if I hadn't gotten there when I did and that is, in part, due to the information we received from Dr. Whitly." I answered.  
"Right through here." He lead me down the hallway back to the cell.  
"Dr. Whitly. You have a visitor." He told him before leaving us alone.  
"Malcolm isn't with you? He's gone?" Martin said looking at me with an oddly concerned expression.  
"He's at home resting with his mom." I answered.  
"He's okay?" He asked me.  
"He's alive and I was able to bring him home, but I wouldn't say okay. He went through a lot during the time he was with Watkins."  
Martin closed his eyes almost looking pained.  
"I made a lot of mistakes... Bad decisions when it came to my son, but I never wanted this. Will you tell him that? Please?"  
"Sure. I will. I just came to tell you we found him alive and to thank you for the information you gave to help me find him. I should get back to him now." I nodded at him.  
"Thank you, Lilian." He mused sitting down facing away from me.   
When I arrived home Jessica looked at me wordlessly and gestured into the living room. Like so many moments since we'd found him, Malcolm was staring off at one of the walls seeing and experiencing something completely different from the walls of the living room.  
"Malcolm?" I said his name gently before touching his shoulder as to avoid startling him.  
"Do you think we can get everyone to come over tomorrow night for New Years?" Malcolm asked looking up at me as if nothing was the matter.  
"As long as they don't have plans I don't see why not." I answered deciding that he would tell me exactly what happened when he was ready to.  
"I'll find out."  
"Okay. I just think that we have a lot to be thankful for at the start of this new decade and they are a large part of that." He explained.  
"That we do. If you want them here I'll do the best I can to get them here." I smiled at him.  
Malcolm went back into the bedroom to take a nap while I made a number of calls confirming all of our friends coming over for a small New Years party at roughly nine pm the next day.  
"Is this like a formal thing?" Dani asked me when I called her.  
"We just want your company Dani. We'll have some snacks and things and ring in the New Year together. His mother will be here and she and his sister will probably dress up and I like to dress up. When we were in college we would dress up and ring in the New Year in my apartment." I smiled at the memory.  
"So, yes?" She asked.  
"Come as you choose. We want you to be comfortable." I said.  
"Okay. I'll be there nine o'clock." She had a smile in her voice.  
Jessica sat down next to me at the dining room table as I hung up with Edrisa.  
"Is he going to be okay?" She asked me reaching for my hand.  
"That's a hard question to answer, Jessica." I answered with a sigh before turning to look at her.  
"Physically he'll be fine. The bruises and bones will heal and while he may have a scar on his side ultimately it'll heal. Psychologically, emotionally that's harder to guess. Malcolm and I haven't even talked about what happened and I don't want to push him into it. That'll just make it worse for him. Something serious happened during that time. All we can do is wait and let him process what happened. He'll talk to us when he's ready." I squeezed her hand gently.  
"What did Martin say?" She asked me.  
"He told me he's made bad decisions but he never wanted this. He thanked me for coming down to tell him that we found him alive and I left." I answered.  
"Do you believe that?"  
"I honestly don't know. Malcolm will have to make that decision after Martin is removed from solitary." I shrugged.  
"He's manipulated him for so long." She mused.  
"I know. If he asks my opinion I'll give it to him but he's grown. I can't make his decisions for him."  
"I know. He's too stubborn to let you anyway." She chuckled dryly.  
"That he is." I laughed too.  
"All we can do is be there for him and support him the best we can."  
She nodded.  
"I've talked to Edrisa, Ainsley, Eve, Dani, Ashlyn, Gil and obviously your mother. I've left messages for JT, and Colette." I told Malcolm when he wandered into the kitchen in the early afternoon after Jessica left.  
"Colette?" He asked gently wrapping his arms around me.  
"Yeah. She lost her boyfriend. If I'd lost you..." I shook my head.  
Cautiously, he tightened his grip on me.  
"You didn't. I'm right here." He told me.  
"Yeah, I know." I nodded.  
I glanced down at my phone as a text rang in.  
"It's Gil. He wants me to sit in on the interrogation for John Watkins." I explained.  
"When did you find that out?" He asked his anxiety leaking through his tone.  
"When I called him to talk about the party while you we're napping. I won't be gone long." I assured him.  
"I want to go with you." He said.  
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked gently.  
"I'll just stay in the viewing room. Please, Lily. I don't want to be away from you." He pushed, his eyes panicked.  
"Alright, but I'm having Dani stay with you as a precaution. I'm sorry I left this morning." I caved with a sigh.  
"I know why you did and I'll behave." He teased kissing my temple.  
"Go get dressed. They're already waiting."  
When we walked in Gil pulled Malcolm aside while I talked to Dani.  
"Gil and I are going to do the interrogation for Watkins. I want you to watch with Malcolm. Do your best to keep him calm, please. Remind him that Gil's not going to let anything happen to me." I told her.  
"Hey, Lily. Tally says we're in. We were just going to stay home anyway." JT told me walking passed me.  
"Wonderful. We'll see you at nine." I smiled at him.  
"Do you need us to bring anything?" He asked.  
"Drinks I guess. I go a little crazy with food prep when I host a party." I giggled softly.  
"Ready to do this?" Gil asked walking up to us.  
"As ready as I can be." I answered.  
I looked over at Malcolm who nodded at me before disappearing with Dani into the viewing room.  
"Are you sure about this?" Gil asked calmly as I held onto the doorknob.  
I looked through the door at the disheveled man sitting at the table. His hands were cuffed to the table and his feet shackled together.  
"Yeah. Let's get this over with, so Malcolm and I can go home." I said before pushing the door open.  
"Johnathan Watkins. Born November twentieth 1962 to Georgia Watkins; daughter of Matilda and Benjamin Watkins. Father unknown." I said as Gil and I sat down across from him.  
"Because my mother was a whore!" He yelled clearly trying to get a reaction out of me.  
"Is that so?" I asked.  
"And how do you know that?"  
"Grandmother told me." He said finally looking at me.  
"You're the pretty girlfriend. I'm surprised little Malcolm isn't in here. How's the broken ribs? The bruises on your throat... I could have done better. I can see you were able to keep your hair despite the blood loss." He looked around the room.  
"I'm Chief Lilian Russell of the FBI, and if I have my way you'll never see him again." I smiled at him.  
"Protective. Interesting." He kept his eyes on me.  
"I'm not here to talk about me or Malcolm. I'm here to talk about you. Or rather your mother." I met his gaze.  
"What about her?" He spat at me.  
"Only that she was clean since she found out she was pregnant with you. Mandatory drug tests throughout the pregnancy. She got a job as a 911 operator in New Jersey about six months after you were born, which I should mention also required a drug test which she also passed. She'd have made an impressive five dollars an hour. A full two dollars more than the median male income in 1963. Only... she died before she was able to move you to Jersey. Odd isn't it?" I asked.  
"She was clean fifteen months with a six month old son that by all accounts she adored and she decided to relapse?" Gil added looking at me.  
"Seems odd to me. From what I see in the file not much investigation was done at all. Not even an autopsy. My guess is that that syringe they found in your mother's arm wasn't filled with heroin at all but rather some poison of some sort."   
"Arsenic?" Gil asked.  
"It was common at the time. It would have been extremely painful to have arsenic injected into her bloodstream." I nodded.  
"No. She left me." John told us.  
"I'm a world renowned forensic psychiatrist. My boyfriend is a criminal profiler and should I allow you anywhere near him again, which I won't, he'd likely tell you the exact same thing: It doesn't fit. What does fit is a grandmother considering her daughter unworthy of raising her own son and killing her when she realizes that she plans to move him out of state." I explained.  
"No." He shook his head.  
"Makes sense to me." Gil shrugged.  
"Is it really that far fetched, John? She taught you how to kill? She made you. Put you up to crushing your grandfather under that car? That is how you decided how you'd kill all of your victims? What were you? Ten?" I asked.  
"He was abusive." He whispered.  
"We know that. The evidence is all over the house. The closet in your bedroom with the lock on the outside." I looked at him.  
"Your boyfriend locked me in a trunk!" He shot at me.  
"You abducted him and threatened his family. If it had been me, I would have killed you." I shot back.  
"You're no better than me!"  
"Except I am. I only kill when absolutely necessary. To protect the community and the people I love. Self defense is not the same thing as what you've done." I shot back at him.  
"I don't remember when it started. As far back as I can remember. She didn't protect me. No one protected me." He muttered.  
"But she taught you how to end it, didn't she?" I pushed.  
"Yeah. She did. And yes, Dr. Russell, that's how I decided how I killed my victims." He told me.  
"I'm going to give you a pad of paper and a pen and I want you to write down everything that happened. Everything you've done. Everyone you've killed. Then I need you to sign your name to it."  
He nodded solemnly.  
Gil and I walked out of the interrogation room and I walked away from him into the viewing room where Malcolm and Dani were watching and stepped into his arms.  
"Are you okay?" He whispered.  
I nodded with a sigh.  
"Are you?" I asked.  
He nodded looking down into my face.  
"Let's get out of here." I urged.  
"Happily." He smiled at me.  
"Hey, Lily. I'm in for your party tomorrow. Thank you for the invite." Colette smiled at Malcolm and I as we walked out of the viewing room.  
"Good to hear. We look forward to seeing you." I smiled back.  
"The more the merrier." Malcolm faked a smile.  
"You said that we have a lot to be thankful for. And Colette came through for us. Lead the team to breach the cabin. When it came down to it she had my back." I told him quietly as we continued walking out of the station.  
"Alright. Alright. Heard." He pressed his lips to my temple.  
"What's the head count?"  
"Total including us is twelve." I answered.  
"I suppose you want a full spread?"  
"You love cooking with me." I smiled innocently at him.  
"That's very true. I do love cooking with you." He smiled at me.  
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over me causing me to stumble.  
"Lily?" Malcolm asked me touching my shoulder.  
"It's just the concussion." I sighed.  
"Are you okay to drive home?" He asked.  
"Yeah. Then I need to rest before tomorrow."  
"An early night sounds like a great idea to me." He smiled.  
The next morning came too quickly and we had a lot to prepare for the party we were hosting.  
Malcolm and I returned home from grocery shopping around noon.  
"Do we really need all this stuff?" He asked as we loaded the multitude of bags onto the counter.  
"Yes, Malcolm. Options." I insisted.  
"I love when you get in party planning mode. It's sexy." He mused running his fingertips over my arm.  
"Is that so? Too bad the broken ribs and stitches make sex an impossibility right now." I smirked at him.  
"You don't have stitches." He teased.  
"Your stitches, you brat and my staples." I growled playfully swatting his arm.  
"Help me pull out the stuff for the Cranberry-Lime Pie. That takes the longest."  
"We have over eight hours, Lily."  
"Yes and after all the cooking we still have to shower and change." I reminded him.  
"Fair. Fair." He smiled at me.  
We danced cautiously around the kitchen to loud music as we made the wide array of desserts: Burnt Caramel Custards, Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Tarts, Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites, Toasted Pecan Torte with Butterscotch Topping before we started on the appetizers.  
Bacon Crack Bites, Cheesy Baked Meatballs, Steak Frites Bites, French Dip Sliders, Garlicky Shrimp Dip.  
Then touching back on Chocolate Churro Dip, and Snickerdoodle Party Cookies, and finishing up with Pasta Chips, Homemade Pita Chips, and finally Garlicky Shrimp Cocktails.  
"Do we have time for a quick nap? I can't believe that we have been in this kitchen for five hours." Malcolm chuckled.  
"It wasn't a straight five hours and we had fun, didn't we?" I asked.  
"Of course we did. I love blasting music at top volume and dancing around the kitchen with you. I've missed it actually." He smiled wrapping his arms around me.  
"I did too." I pressed my lips to his.  
"Nap?" He pushed.  
"A small nap." I conceded.  
After our nap we wrapped his cast in a plastic bag and took a shower together. I ran my hands gently over the bruises on his skin.  
"I'm okay." He whispered kissing behind my ear.  
"I know." I sighed looking up into his face.  
"I love you." He smiled before kissing me.  
His hands moved gently over my bruised chest.  
"I'm okay too." I nudged him gently.  
"I know." He smiled.  
"I love you." I kissed him.  
I brushed my hair out into glamorous curls and slid into a silver thin double strap A-line Ball Gown with a beaded lace bodice and glittered skirt.  
Edrisa arrived first at eight thirty holding two bottles of Dry Chenin Blanc in a dark blue sleeveless satin gown and what looked like very uncomfortable heels.  
"Come over here and take those off. I'm going to insist on no uncomfortable shoes here tonight." I smiled at her lifting my skirt to show off my bare feet.  
"I know I'm early but I wanted to see if you guys needed any help." She smiled at me.  
"We appreciate that. Gil said he'll be here soon too. Malcolm's finishing getting dressed and will be down soon." I smiled leading her into the kitchen.  
Malcolm walked into the kitchen wearing black slacks and a classic black jacket over a white button up shirt the buttons undone.  
"Can you help me with these?" He asked walking up to me.  
I moved the fabric of his shirt so I could examine the stitches.  
"Should we cover this?" I asked touching them gingerly.  
"No. I want them to air out a little." He smiled at me.  
I proceeded to button up his shirt.  
"You two are adorable." Edrisa swooned as the doorbell rang.  
Gil stood on the porch in a black button up shirt and a grey jacket and slacks with Dani who wore a metallic gold sleeveless flowy sheath dress with a deep V-neck. Both held a bottle of wine. Gil's offering was California Pinot Noir while Dani brought Crianza Rioja.  
"Thank you!" I beamed taking Dani's wine bottle and hugging her.  
"I saw Edrisa's car." Gil noted.  
"Yeah, she got here about ten minutes ago." I smiled at him.  
"She's in the kitchen with Malcolm. Dani go ahead and get out of those shoes. No uncomfortable shoes tonight." I motioned them into the kitchen as I noticed another car in the driveway.  
JT climbed out of the car in a classic black three piece suit and walked around to open the door for Tally who shined in dark blue thin strapped A-line Ball Gown with a lace bodice.  
"Lily!" She exclaimed hugging me carefully.  
"We figured everyone would bring wines and things so we decided to bring a bunch of sodas to put in the refrigerator for a bit of a reprieve." She smiled at me.  
"Wonderful! We didn't even think of that. Gil's here if JT needs a hand?" I asked.  
"Nah, man. I got it." He smiled at me walking into the house carrying six twelve packs of various sodas.  
"Kitchen is right through there. Malcolm can help you get them put away." I motioned for him and lead Tally to take her shoes off with everyone else's.  
"This is going to be the best high end party ever." She smiled at me.  
"Are you guys okay?" She asked me quietly.  
"We will be, Tally. Thank you." I smiled at her.  
Jessica and Ainsley arrived next. Jessica wore a burgundy off the shoulder mermaid gown while Ainsley wore a red sleeveless A-line Ball Gown with a plunging V-neck. They brought two bottles of high end champagne for the midnight toasts.  
"You both look amazing. How are you feeling, Ains?" I asked.  
"Not too bad considering." She smiled at me.  
I was thoroughly surprised when Jessica agreed to take off her shoes. Together we moved all fourteen dishes to the dinning table we'd moved into the living room against the wall.  
The doorbell rang again and I found our last three guests on the porch.  
Ashlyn wore a satin white sleeveless beaded A-line gown with a low back.  
Eve donned a deep purple strapless A-line Ballgown with a velvet sweetheart bodice.  
Colette wore an Emerald one shoulder mermaid gown.  
Each held another bottle of wine.  
"Thank you for coming." I smiled leading them into the living room.  
Malcolm and I pulled out our good wine glasses and handed out glasses of wine to our guests.  
"I'd like to say something quickly before we put the music on and get to enjoying ourselves." Malcolm said standing with his arm around me.  
"A lot has happened during just this year not to mention the entire decade. Lily and I are so happy to be able to count each one of you among our friends. We've never had a large social circle and hopefully we can start the new decade doing better at letting people in. Thank you all for being here tonight and we truly hope you enjoy yourselves. Here's to each one of you." Malcolm raised his glass and I followed suit.  
The party kicked off with Closer by The Chainsmokers. Malcolm and I wandered around my loft for most of the first two hours of our get together doing our best to interact with each of our guests.  
"Interesting choice of music." Jessica smiled at me.  
"It's a selection of some of our favorite songs of the decade." I smiled at her.  
"This isn't a charity event, Jessica. It's a party. Celebrating the beginning of a new year and a new decade. Malcolm decided he wanted everyone here tonight, you included."  
"This was Malcolm's idea?" She asked.  
"It was."  
"Hmm... Alright then."  
"Please try to enjoy yourself." I urged.  
"This is the happiest I've seen him since..."  
"I understand, Lily. To be completely honest, I am enjoying myself. Seeing my children happy is always rewarding." She looked across the room where Malcolm and Ainsley were laughing with Eve and Edrisa.  
"It was a really scary couple days." I admitted.  
"It was, but I knew you would find him, and so did he." She assured me.  
I smiled at her and she excused herself for more wine.  
"How are you doing?" Gil asked coming up behind me.  
"I'm okay. This is nice. Having everyone here." I smiled at him.  
"You both have a much bigger support system than you've had before."  
"That's very true." I smiled again.  
"Any news on Bryce?"  
"No. Nothing yet. No activity on his credit cards or bank accounts either in New York or elsewhere." I answered.  
"We'll find him, Lily." He smiled at me.  
I nodded as Malcolm walked up to me.  
"We've got just under ten minutes until midnight, we should open up the champagne." He said smiling at me.  
"Great idea." I smiled back at him.  
I found myself just outside the back door on the porch not long after we poured the champagne.  
"I thought I'd find you out here." Malcolm said gently joining me outside.  
"Seemed like a good place to ring in the new decade." I smiled at him.  
"I can only think of one thing better." He said taking my hand gently in his fingers barely poking out of his cast and dropping down to one knee.  
"Malcolm..." I whispered his name.  
"I know how much you hate clichés but I've thought about this a lot. Our relationship has changed and evolved so much over this decade and I can't imagine a better way to start a new one than right here with you; telling you that I belong with you and I belong to you. I always have. I'm ready to take this next step with you. Now, please, ring in the new year and answer me this, Lilian Jade Russell, will you marry me?" He asked.  
"Yes. Yes, I will marry you." I answered wiping a tear from my eye as the clock struck midnight.  
Malcolm slid the ring I'd found in his apartment on Christmas day onto my left ring finger before standing to kiss me.  
"I never got over you either." He whispered holding me to him causing me to cry harder.  
Just inside the door our friends and family broke into applause.  
"It's about time, kid." Gil teased Malcolm when we walked back inside.  
"Couldn't have done it without you." He smiled at him.  
"I picked up the ring from his apartment." Gil told me.  
"Of course you did." I shook my head.  
Malcolm switched to a different playlist that started with In Case You Didn't Know by Brett Young and spun me into the middle of the living room so we could dance together.  
"You know, I've waited all decade for you to ask me to marry you?" I asked him as we swayed.  
"Is that so?" He asked.  
"It is." I smiled and kissed him.  
"Well, it did have to be right." He smirked.  
"It certainly was. You're right. I do hate clichés but I love this. I can't imagine beginning this decade anywhere than right here by your side, celebrating our love." I smiled at him.  
"Let's see it." Dani said excitedly reaching for my hand.  
"Wow, that is a rock. It's gorgeous, Lily." She beamed at me as Eve and Tally looked over her shoulder.  
"It's perfect." I smiled over at Malcolm who stood with Gil before looking down at my engagement ring.  
"It's about time you officially join our family." Jessica embraced me beaming.  
"I'm honored." I smiled back at her as Ainsley ran up to me.  
"I've always considered you a sister." She mused hugging me.  
After another hour of dancing and laughing with our friends and family we bid them goodnight, put the leftovers away, and put the dishes in the dishwasher before heading up to the bedroom.  
"It's too bad sex is off the table." Malcolm muttered kissing my shoulder as he helped me out of my dress.  
"I'm sure if we try hard enough, we can figure out a way get creative tonight." I turned around standing before him in only my lingerie to take his face in my hands kissing him.   
"I like that idea." He growled low in my ear as I lead him over to our bed.


	15. Alone Time

Malcolm's head pounded when he became aware of his surroundings. The floor cold against the side of his face and his wrists in chains. He pushed himself over onto his back. The lightbulbs in the walls cast dull light across the room.  
"Help! Help! Anybody..." He called out before a door opened in the back of the room.  
"No one can hear you scream out here." John Watkins said setting up a tripod and setting a large canvas bag down next to it.  
He turned on the spotlight causing Malcolm to wince away from its brightness.  
"Are you sure? I'm a pretty good screamer. Had a lot of practice."  
"Oh, don't be scared, Malcolm. We finally get to have some alone time together." John smiled down at him.  
He set up a metal folding chair in front of him.  
"So, it's all lead to this. I can't believe we're here now. Together. Ah. Can you feel it? Can you feel it in the air?" John asked as Malcolm moved to sit on his knees.  
"Am I your next mission? Are you gonna starve me? Like the others? Force me to atone for my sins?" Malcolm asked his eyes wide.  
"I'm finished with that work." John dismissed him.  
"Oh, so you're evolving? Right in this moment? Even if that doesn't bode well for me, that really is fascinating. You killed Shannon with a knife. You took his life with your own hands. That's not your normal MO. For a serial killer to change their technique is rare. It's impressive." Malcolm told him almost excitedly.  
"I don't care what you think." John spat at him.  
"Of course you do. Otherwise I wouldn't still be alive, would I? There's a reason you took me. You're looking for a connection."  
"We've always had a connection."  
"Just like you had with my father? You needed him, didn't you? As a role model? A mentor to show you the way?"   
"I liked working with him. I'm gonna like working with you, too." He smiled widely at Malcolm.  
"Well, I'm flattered, but as many people will tell you, I kind of like to work alone. Plus, I'm not a killer."  
"Not yet. You just haven't gone through the trials, like I did. I emerged a new man after my trials and so will you. If you survive. You certainly like working with Lilian Russell."  
"Don't talk about her." Malcolm snapped at John.  
"Maybe she'll be your first." John teased him.  
"Go to hell. You don't know anything about her."  
John smirked at him.  
"Should we talk about the past then?"  
"You want to talk about the past? I had a good look at yours. That means Lily has too. The way your grandparents raised you. All the punishments. Fire and brimstone. The wardrobe where they kept you. I saw the scratches on the door. Nobody deserves that."   
"I was a difficult child."  
"Is that why you had to kill your grandfather?" Malcolm asked.  
"I saved him! I made sure it was quick."  
"He was working on his car. You kicked out the jack. He was your first. You crushed him, then started on the others."   
"You got me all figured out, don't you?" John sneered.  
"That's how I know you weren't born this way. You're a product of that home. Which means you can change. You can evolve. This is a sickness."  
"It's my calling! I am a savior!"  
"No. You torture and kill addicts and prostitutes because that's what your mother was. You loved her and she left you and you grew up with grandparents who drilled hate into you. You think you're an original, John. You're chapter one in the first profiling book they give new recruits at Quantico."  
"At least I remember my past. What made me who I am. You don't even know who you are. You don't remember what made you. It all started right here."  
"Then help me remember. We went on a camping trip. The girl I found, she was there too, right?" Malcolm asked.  
"The girl? That's all you care about! Your father took care of her himself. I guess she was special... but that doesn't matter. This is about you and me, and this." John showed Malcolm a scar on his side as he crouched down in front of him.  
"You stabbed me and left me for dead. I lived. Will you?"  
John struck out and stabbed Malcolm in the side of his chest twisting the knife and ripping it back out. Malcolm reached up to cover his wound before falling back to his side and losing consciousness.  
"Malcolm? Malcolm, wake up." Lily's voice was clear as day pulling Malcolm out of unconsciousness.  
"Lily?" He muttered her name weakly.  
"I'm here Malcolm."  
When he opened his eyes she was there; in blue jeans and that white blouse he liked. She'd worn it to their date with JT, Tally, and Eve.  
"I'm losing a lot of blood." He told her.  
"Everything you need to stop the bleeding is right here." She said softly.  
Malcolm got back up to his knees and ripped part of his shirt to apply pressure to his wound.  
"Good." Lily smiled at him.  
"That's very good. You're smart, Malcolm. Strong. You can keep yourself alive until I can find you."  
"You're coming." He said it as a statement.  
"Of course I am. Remember that Watkins isn't going to help you, Malcolm. He wants to confuse you; manipulate you." Her eyes pleaded with him.  
"I'll remember, Lily." He nodded.  
"Stay alive." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his forehead before vanishing.  
"I can't do this alone. Come back!" He called out to the empty room.  
John walked back into the room with Malcolm.  
"Hurts like a son of a bitch, doesn't it?"  
"Yeah." Malcolm sighed.  
"I floated down a river like that, fixed myself up with a rusty fish hook and some line."  
"That's what I'm hearing? The river?"  
"Could have used a surgeon that day, but he was less than helpful."  
"Why did I do it?" Malcolm looked up at John.  
"You don't remember the fight?"  
Malcolm shook his head as a memory assaulted him.  
"We were supposed to do this together!" John yelled at Martin in his memory.  
"You and my dad were going to kill someone? The girl? I tried to save her, didn't I?" Malcolm asked him.  
"You've got one hell of a hero complex. Stop asking about the girl."  
"Then tell me why I stabbed you."  
"It was self-defense. The chloroform wasn't working as well as it once did. You were starting to remember things. We brought you on that camping trip to take care of you for good. Your father was going to kill you."  
Malcolm shook his head.  
"You remember it all now, don't you?" John pushed him.  
"My father is a lot of things, but he would never kill his own son."  
"He had every intention to. He just lost his nerve when we got up there." John shrugged.  
"So you took things into your own hands?"  
"Until you became your father's son. You came at me like a feral animal."  
"I'm not a killer." Malcolm insisted.  
"My scar says otherwise. Face it! You're just like me. You judge, you hunt!"  
"I bring criminals to justice! I protect my community and my family."  
"Of course." John looked at Malcolm again as if seeing him for the first time.  
"You share your father's strengths, but you also share his weaknesses."  
"What's that? His sadistic megalomania or the dash of God Complex?" Malcolm asked.  
"Your family. Just like Martin you love your family. They're your fatal flaw. Sacrifice will be your final trial."  
Malcolm just stared at him.  
"Don't worry. It won't be something you have to do; just something you have to endure. I'll do the doing." John smiled at him pulling an axe out of the canvas bag.  
"No! Stop! You don't have to do this." Malcolm exclaimed.  
"No, but I do. It's my calling." John turned back to him.  
"I know that voice. The one inside your head. Maybe it started with your grandfather saying you were worthless. but it evolved into something more powerful, undeniable. It will never be satisfied and neither will you. I hear that voice too. From my father. I can hear him. I can see him, but I don't have to listen to him. So, don't. Don't listen to that voice." Malcolm tried to appeal to him.  
"The thing is, I like the voice. It's a part of me, and right now, it's telling me to hurry."  
John turned back and opened the door.  
"Watkins wait! Watkins stop!" Malcolm screamed after him.  
"Watkins no! Wait... It's not a river. It's the subway. We're under..." Malcolm looked up at John.  
"There's no place like home." John smirked at him.  
Malcolm screamed after him falling forward onto the floor.  
"Malcolm. Malcolm, don't give up." Lily's voice came to him again.  
"What can I do?" He muttered.  
"You're smart, Malcolm."  
"Baby, I don't just need a pep talk. I need... I need..."  
"What you need is your father, and it's our family." Dr. Martin Whitly said appearing to his son.  
"Our family is about to be slaughtered, and just look at you. Helpless. What would Lily think about this?"  
"This is your fault. You brought John Watkins into our lives. Into our home. That's where we are, right? Under the house." Malcolm said.  
"Not much gets passed you. A house as old as this has a lot of secrets."  
"How's this for a secret? You were going to kill me."  
"Okay. That's on me but come on. That's water under the bridge. Let's focus on the here and now. You need to find a way out of those." Martin gestured down to the chains around his son's wrists.  
"It's a blunt procedure, but it's your only option. The diameter of the restraint is three inches. The width of your hand is five inches. All you have to do is make your hand three inches. That's just math. Time's a-wasting. Chop-chop."  
Malcolm wrapped his hand around the handle of the hammer lying on the floor next to him; laid his left hand on the floor spreading his fingers out. He set the end of the hammer on the bone just under the base of his thumb raised it up as high as he could and slammed it down shattering the bone in his hand.  
I awoke as an uneasy feeling washed over me then Malcolm screamed out in his sleep. His body too still. I could feel his heart racing through his chest as his breath came quick and ragged. The rest of his body was rigid, unwavering.  
I moved slowly, simply spreading my fingers across his bare chest before moving my hand up to touch the side of his neck.  
"Malcolm?" I whispered his name.  
"Lily?" He choked out, clearly still asleep.  
"I'm here, Malcolm. I've got you." I said gently.  
"No. Lily. Run. Run." He muttered.  
"What? Sweetheart, you're safe now. You're home, baby."  
"No. No. He said... He said..." He stuttered finally moving to lay next to me and burying his face in my shoulder.  
He gripped ahold of my shoulder holding me tightly to him.   
"What did he say, baby?" I asked gently.  
"He said, maybe you'll be my first. I figure he meant my first kill." He looked at me his eyes filled with anxiety.  
"Malcolm, he's in prison. He will be in prison for the rest of his life. Everything else is up to us."  
"What if I'm a danger to you?" He asked me almost silently.  
"Do you really think you can be a danger to me? We've known each other for twenty one years. We've been in love for over ten. Don't you think after all this time that I know exactly who you are?" I asked him.  
"I don't even know who I am." He looked away from me.  
"I do. I always have. You are the love of my life. Then, now, forever."  
Malcolm burried his face in my shoulder and cried.  
"You are safe with me. We're okay, baby. We're okay." I held him to me running my fingers through his hair.  
"I need to tell you... I need to tell you everything."


	16. Internal Affairs

"I hate this." I sighed sitting in my car down the street from the precinct.  
"I know you do. This is the smart play, you know it is." Gil answered.  
"Do we really know that?"  
"Malcolm thinks it is."  
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.  
"And I can't be in there because...?"  
"Because if the internal affairs psychiatrist sees you it'll throw a wrench in things."  
"Because I'm the only one in the state of New York that internal affairs answers too."  
"Right. Have some faith in him, Lily."  
"I do have faith in him." I sighed again hanging up watching the tall man with thinning blond hair walked up the stairs in the front door.  
"Malcolm, this isn't a good idea." I insisted as he tried to get dressed that morning a mere two and a half weeks after Christmas.  
"The stab wound missed all of my vital organs and the fracture to my first metacarpal is healing nicely." He told me gently turning to me.  
I shook my head and sighed walking over to him to help him fix his tie.  
"Gil's never going to let you back into the field this soon."  
"You never know unless you try." He smiled innocently at me.  
"Fine, fine." I conceded.  
I could feel Malcolm's excitement as we drove towards the precinct.  
I walked into Gil's office while Malcolm met with Dani and JT in the conference room and sat down on his couch with a sigh.  
"You aren't supposed to be back yet, are you?" He asked looking up at me.  
"No, but your message sounded urgent. Besides, I was dropping Malcolm off and I wanted to ask you something." I answered.  
"What is it?" He asked concern coloring his features.  
I chuckled involuntarily.  
"Will you walk me down the aisle at our wedding?" I asked looking up at him.  
"That shouldn't even be a question, Lily. Of course I will." He smiled back at me standing up and walking around to hug me.  
"Now what I have to say is much less pleasant. Watkins didn't sign the confession." He told me.  
"Of course not. Did he at least write it?" I asked.  
"You knew he wouldn't sign it?"  
"I suspected it. It'll take more than one sit down to break someone like John Watkins." I sighed.  
Gil walked back over to his desk and picked up a thick file.  
"It's forty three pages." He said handing it to me.  
"Of course it is. Martin has been behind bars for twenty years and I believe John was killing before they met. John was born in late 1962 which would have made him eighteen in 1980, not to say of course that he wasn't killing before he became an adult, but I'd say we have a minimum of forty years of murders to detail." I sighed opening the folder.  
"Wait..." He said looking at me suddenly.  
"Did you say Bright's here?"  
I nodded with a small knowing smile.  
"Absolutely not." Gil told Malcolm as we stood outside the precinct.  
"Gil, please, I need a case." Malcolm almost begged.  
"What you need is a leave of absence." Gil insisted glancing at me as I leaned against the building.  
"I told you, I'm fine."  
"Fine? Watkins tortured you."  
I could hear the pain in his voice when he said the world out loud.  
"And I emerged unscathed!"  
I glared over at him.  
"Well, scathed. Moderately scathed." He amended catching my glare.  
"You're going home, Malcolm. Rest, recuperate. That's an order." Gil insisted.  
"Come on, Malcolm." I reached for his hand.  
We drove in relative silence back to his apartment.  
"I told you it was too soon." I scolded him lightly as he unlocked the door.  
"Mr. Bright, to bed. Now." A tall woman in scrubs said in a strong German accent.  
"Why is there a scary German lady in your apartment?" I whispered instinctively moving my body in between them.   
"Thank you, Ilsa, though I should warn you. My son does not respond particularly well to direction. Lily! How lucky Malcolm is to be surrounded by this army of nurturing women." Jessica exclaimed happily.   
"Mom, did you make a new friend?" Malcolm asked touching my shoulder.  
"Ilsa is my little homecoming gift. She can run your baths, administer your meds and prepare your meals until you have sufficiently recovered."  
"Mom, I don't need anyone..."  
"She also competed in the German judo team in the '92 Olympics. Should you have one of your more unruly nightmares."  
"I have placed fresh sheets on your bed and warmed them with a hot water bottle. Would you prefer whiskey or bourbon in your hot toddy?" Ilsa asked him.  
"Uh, whiskey. Thank you." He looked at me.  
"Go on. I'll be right there." I smiled at him.  
"Jess, a word."  
"So, how is he, really?"  
"Jessica. We don't need a nurse."  
"You can't be here all the time." She argued.  
"I don't need to be. Malcolm is an adult."  
"My son sleeps in chains, subsists on sparkling water and licorice, and can barely take care of a parakeet."  
"He slept in chains, there is nothing wrong with sparkling water and licorice, and he takes care of Sunshine just fine." I countered.  
"He is your son but he's also my fiancé. He's healing and he's going to be okay."  
"You can't really think that going back to work so soon is a good idea?"  
"Of course not and I told him as much before we went out there this morning."  
"Something happened between Malcolm and Watkins underground. Something more than he will admit."  
To you... I thought. I knew Malcolm and I knew he'd told me everything that happened in that basement. I also knew that he didn't want to tell his mother.  
"He has been through a lot, and while I'm sure he enjoyed his alcoholic beverage with his pain killers it really is time for you both to leave."  
"Fine." Jessica said with an exaggerated sigh.  
"Ilsa, let's go."  
I sighed after she shut the door resting my head in my hand.  
"She means well, Lily." Malcolm told me gently when I sat down next to him in the bed.  
"I know she does. I just can't help but feel like she doesn't think I can take care of you."  
"I don't need anyone to take care of me." He sighed.  
"You're thinking about going on that case, aren't you?"  
"What case?" He feigned innocence.  
"The one Dani's voice just answered on the scanner?" I motioned over to the scanner whose volume was so low neither his mother nor the nurse could hear it.  
"Please, Lily. Please." He begged.  
"Fine, fine." I sighed.  
Reluctantly, I drove him out to the crime scene.  
"Looks like the team's back together." He announced our presence as we walked towards them.  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Gil asked him but looked at me.  
"Should you be back at work?" JT echoed.  
"Bright! You're back! Seven abdominal stitches and a fracture to your first metacarpal, and you still look great." Edrisa exclaimed drawing my gaze.  
"I might have pulled his medical records. I was worried. But you're here now." She smiled at him.  
"We are here. So let's go take a peek at this body?"  
Gil motioned Malcolm forward.  
"I thought we talked about this." Gil asked me.  
"If I didn't bring him he was going to sneak out of the apartment. Would you rather I be here to watch out for him or not?"  
Gil shook his head and walked away.  
"This graveyard is under control of the Department of Corrections. Inmates dig the trenches." JT explained as Malcolm looked around the scene.  
"For whom?" He asked.  
"Homeless, the indigent. Anyone without families to claim the remains." Dani answered.  
"Watch the dirt. They developed this land for agricultural use. The Lyme will do a number on your Gucci loafers." JT teased.  
"Inmate was filling in the grave this morning, found a body that didn't belong here. Unidentified male, early 20s." Gil added.  
"Cause of death?"  
"Ah, bruises around the neck are consistent with strangulation. Lividity in the extremities suggests that he's been dead for at least 48 hours. And second-degree burn marks. One on each temple." Edrisa answered.  
"The techs did an analysis of the footprints around the grave. Eliminated the gravediggers, but were able to isolate one. A size-14 boot."  
"Well this is a professional disposal job. But the M. O. doesn't speak to a professional kill. Hit men employ a more efficient, perfunctory method. But not our size 14. This strangulation implies an unskilled, desperate murder. Unlike the burn marks, which suggest torture or intimidation. This profile is a contradiction."   
"All right. Let's double back to the prisoners and try to I. D. our vic." Gil ordered.  
"I'll run John Doe's fingerprints, see if he's in the system." Dani told him.  
"Corrections officers claim they didn't hear anything, but..."  
I watched Malcolm cautiously as he gazed off into the distance.  
"What do you see?" I asked him quietly.  
"It's me. When I was ten years old. But I'm dead." He whispered.  
"Because of what Watkins told you?" I asked.  
"I think so." He nodded.  
"Come on. Let's go home for a little while." I suggested.  
Reluctantly, he agreed and walked with me back to my car.  
I was sitting in the kitchen trying to read Watkins' statement when Edrisa called to tell him about the autopsy.  
"You want to go?" I asked cautiously.  
"I do." He beamed at me.  
I couldn't deny that he was much happier when he was working the case than when we weren't.  
"Tristan Johnston, 21. His prints were in the system. Couple misdemeanors for shoplifting." Dani told us when we walked in.  
"He was strangled, and the other injuries indicate that he was beaten severely prior. The burns remain a puzzler they predate Tristan's death by at least a week." Edrisa said.  
"What do we know about the guy?" Malcolm asked.  
"He was a runaway. Talked to the dad. Said Tristan lived at home outside of Atlanta, up until he went missing about a year ago. He had a, uh, credit card in his dad's name when he took off. The last charge that Tristan made before he turned off the account was $5,000 at the Vosler Institute." JT answered.  
"The Vosler Institute?" Malcolm asked looking at me.  
"Some kind of self-help organization, right? Books, lectures? They got a spot in Midtown?" Dani asked him.  
"They also have many attributes of a cult. In fact, it's on the FBI's cult index. Was there a traumatic event in Tristan's family around the time he ran away?" I added.  
"Yeah. His mother died. Lung cancer." Dani handed Malcolm the file.  
"Cults prey on those with low self-worth. Schizotypal thinkers. Tristan was a loner and a perceived failure in an unhappy family life. A cult offered him a sense of belonging, a place where he could feel welcomed and validated." Malcolm continued.  
"Dani, JT and I are going to interview Vosler. Try to stay out of trouble." Gil said pointedly at Malcolm.  
"Gil's right, baby. We need to rest." I urged.  
I could feel my own fatigue setting in.  
"I just have one more idea. You rest here and I'll be back soon." He told me.  
"Malcolm. This isn't a good idea." I called after him as he ran out of the morgue.  
"Is he always like this?" Edrisa asked me.  
"You have no idea." I answered.  
I retired back to the couch in Gil's office and resumed reading Watkins' statement. I don't know how long I sat there before Gil walked in.  
"You're not going to believe this." He said motioning for me to follow him.  
"You did what?" I asked after Malcolm explained his trip to The Vosler Institute.  
"You could've gotten yourself killed." Gil added.  
"I didn't, but I can't say the same for Andi. We need to arrest Quentin Vosler before she ends up like Tristan." Malcolm insisted looking at me.  
"How am I supposed to get a warrant? All we've got is your eyewitness account and-and whatever this is. The brass knows what went down with Watkins, Bright. They'll think you're nuts." Gil explained.  
I watched his eyes widen as he looked out the conference room window. Suddenly, he stood up and rushed out of the room.  
"Tell me what you did with Andi!" He exclaimed attempting to charge at a man I didn't recognize.  
"Mr. Bright?" The man asked as JT held him back.  
"Where is Andi?" He yelled again as I inserted myself between them.  
"I don't know. That's why I'm here. She was taken by them."  
"Malcolm, calm down." I insisted.  
"Gil!"  
"Right this way Mr. Vosler." Gil lead the man back into his office.  
"He's going to kick you off this case if you aren't careful." I cautioned my love.  
"I'm right, Lily. I know I am." He locked eyes with me.  
I knew that look. There was no shaking him off of this now.  
"You'll be lucky if I let you out of my sight again, my electro-love." I teased lightly.  
"I'm here because I fear for the safety of my members." Vosler pleaded with Gil.  
"The only thing they're afraid of is you." Malcolm interrupted.  
"It has been suggested that my institute shares some of the characteristics of a cult. Now, the van that took Andi was identified by my members. I don't know his name, but we've had run-ins with this man in the past. He would call Andi's kidnapping an 'extraction.'"  
"You're talking about a deprogrammer. They save cult victims. Reunite families with their loved ones." I thought out loud.  
"Save them? He re-traumatizes them. Undoes all my good work, and now, with Tristan, he's escalated to murder." Vosler snapped at me.  
"Deprogrammers have questionable methods, but that doesn't make them killers. Do you have any idea who hired the deprogrammer?" Malcolm growled watching him look at me.  
"Andi's late mother was American. Her father is a Spanish national. He owns a manufacturing firm in Barcelona, and he would spend any amount of money to get Andi back."  
"Deprogrammers cater to wealthy families determined to reclaim their wayward children. I know someone who can help." Malcolm looked at me.  
I sighed. I knew exactly whom he was referring to.  
Less than a half an hour later we were in Jessica's living room where she'd set up meetings with various deprogrammers.  
"She gave that boy everything she had, and he joins a cult? I mean, how hard is it to accept a trust fund, settle down, and pop out a few grandchildren?" She looked pointedly at Malcolm.  
I shook my head when Malcolm looked at me.  
"Tell me about yourself, your work." She asked our last deprogrammer.  
"Well, it starts with extraction. Pick 'em up, pull 'em out. Then comes debriefing. These kids are all brainwashed. I can snap 'em out of it." Curtis Marsh answered.  
Malcolm smiled at me.  
"Mr. Marsh, a few more people outside would love to chat with you, too." He told him.   
"You got nothing." Marsh spat at Gil when we got him back to the precinct.  
"We got your boots. They're a match to the prints we found at the crime scene. That's enough to hold you for 24 hours." Gil smirked at him.  
"Tell us where Andi is." Malcolm pushed causing Marsh to slam his fists on the table.  
"Easy." JT warned snapping his fingers.  
Watching JT defend him was relieving, honestly. It reminded me that I wasn't the only one that had his back.  
"Should've known this was a setup. How'd you find me?" Marsh pushed ignoring Malcolm.  
"You come highly recommended." Malcolm spat.  
"Because I get results."  
"Results like murder? Tristan Johnston left Vosler. He didn't need your help getting out." JT asked.  
"Everyone needs a little help from time to time. That's the job."  
"But this job was tougher than usual. That big, important client wanted Andi back, and you couldn't deliver. You needed to get to Andi, so you tortured Tristan." Malcolm guessed.  
"But then something went wrong. You lost control, you strangled him. Next thing you knew, Tristan was dead." Gil added.  
"What kind of a deprogrammer allows himself to lose control?" Malcolm asked him.  
It was clear after that that Marsh wasn't going to give us anything else. He was obviously the killer but it didn't tell us where he'd taken Andi or if she was even still alive.  
"I'm going to step out for some air. Join me?" I asked Malcolm after a few more hours of listening to him go over the profile again and again.  
"No. I'm going to run it through one more time." He smiled at me.  
I leaned over and kissed him before walking outside.  
I sat down on the front steps letting the cold January air soothe my tired mind.  
I wasn't outside more than five minutes when my phone rang.  
"Russell?" I answered.  
"You need to get in here. Something's happened." Dani's voice sounded frantic then she hung up.  
I rushed into the precinct after Dani's frantic phone call and found her banging on a conference room door.  
"Bright? Bright! Open the door."  
I gripped her shoulders and moved her slightly before banging on the door.  
"Malcolm. It's Lily. Open the door baby." I called.  
Suddenly, the power surged and the lights went out.  
"Malcolm!" I called his name again.  
He opened the door and looked at me.  
"I know who the deprogrammer is."  
"What the hell happened?" I asked sitting across from Malcolm in Gil's office.  
"I can explain everything. You just have to trust me."  
Now, I sat in my car waiting impatiently for the conclusion of the internal affairs review and only able to hope Malcolm was right.  
I pulled up the CCTV footage of the fight between Malcolm and Gil.  
"Now it's really time to go home." Gil walked up to the desk he was working on not a minute after I walked out of the room.  
"A cult deprogrammer must be skilled, have an understanding of the complex psychology of mind control. Curtis is the muscle, not the brains. Otherwise, he never would have killed Tristan. There's someone above Curtis, the real deprogrammer. They're controlling everything."  
"I was right from the beginning. You're in no state to work a case."  
"I've been working this case."  
"I brought you onto the team because you're the best at what you do, Bright, but not when you get like this."  
"'Like this'? I'm 'like this' because of Martin Whitly, because of John Watkins, because of you."  
"What?"  
"You asked for my help. You knew I couldn't say no, and you brought them all back into my life. You did that. You started this."  
"Get the hell out of my precinct."  
"Gil, no."  
The three of us would need to have a serious conversation when all this was over.  
I looked up and watched Malcolm, Dani, and JT rush out of the precinct.  
"He was right. The internal affairs doctor was in fact the deprogrammer." I said sitting down on Gil's couch.  
"You've got to admit it was a good play." Gil smiled at me.  
"It was. An elaborate set up to allow for Malcolm to build his profile discreetly and proving his theory."  
"Shocking him with a ECT in the chest after he pulled a gun on him." Gil added.  
"What... You know what, I don't even want to know." I shook my head.  
After a moment of silence I took a deep breath.  
"I watched the video of the argument." I told him gently.  
"Lily..."  
I raised my hand to stop him.  
"I'm going to speak freely then I'm going to go home with Malcolm and let you make whatever decision you want to." I told him sitting down on his couch  
"Well, I can't stop you so..." He gestured for me to continue.  
"I'm not here to defend what Malcolm said. I'm here to remind you that he's not wrong."  
I raised my hand when he tried to interrupt me.  
"What did you say to me when you called me that night in September?" I asked.  
Gil just looked at me.  
"You told me that you'd brought him into this case and you weren't sure it was a good idea anymore. Malcolm hadn't seen his father in ten years before we went out there to solve that case. Tell me that you think that Watkins would have found him if he hadn't started working for the NYPD."  
"You know I don't think that." He sighed.  
"Of course I do. I know that it didn't so much upset you that he said those things but because you know he's right. Two and a half weeks ago, Malcolm was held in his own basement and none of us knew where he was. He was scared and alone but he fought and he saved himself. He relives what happened over that twenty to twenty four hours of his captivity every night. He screams out in his sleep even when I'm lying next to him. I watch the fear in his eyes every morning as he wonders if he really is like them. Nothing I say is going to fix that for him. He needs time and while I agree that it's probably too early for him to be back to work; he doesn't need you dismissing him when you realize he isn't any good to you."  
"Now wait a minute." He started.  
"When was the last time you were over?" I asked.  
"When was the last time you called just to check on him? I'm not saying I don't get it. I do. This job is stressful and sometimes there isn't a moment to think. Have you even asked him how he is? How he's healing? You didn't ask me when I was in your office yesterday. I saw your concern when I said I had something to ask but you didn't ask me if I was okay or how I was doing. He's broken, Gil. He needs support and acceptance and in his mind you shut him out because of something he didn't do. He didn't do anything wrong. He was abducted. Shannon probably died in front of his eyes. He found out that his father took him on that camping trip to kill him. He stabbed a man at ten years old to protect himself from being murdered then that man abducted him and stabbed him in exactly the same way and the one man he thought loved him cut him out because he's not okay."  
"I do love him!"  
"Don't tell me. Tell him. Talk to him. Hear what he said and what he didn't. He loves you, Gil. You know that but this? This isn't all on him. You have to know that too. He's scared and he feels alone and unworthy. I can't be the only one reminding him who he is."  
Gil followed us back to his apartment. I nodded to Malcolm and walked upstairs to take a shower while they sat down for a drink.  
"I got to ask a question, Bright."  
"Can I stop you?"  
"Nope. Are you okay? You freaked out Dani pretty good."  
"I'm f.. No. I don't think I am."  
"You would've gone through with it, wouldn't you? If you hadn't found that pill bottle you would have shocked yourself."  
"I'm not sure. Lily's voice helped." Malcolm sighed deeply.  
"Okay."  
"Wait. How is that okay?"  
"It's not. But you know that you're not okay, so that makes it okay."  
"I'm not exactly following."  
"You need a vacation. Someplace with a beach. I know it's not easy for you to slow down, Malcolm, but I want you to try. Take Lily, go hop on a yacht or a helicopter or whatever else they're doing on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."  
"That's... that's totally not a show anymore."   
"That's a shame. I don't want to see either of you around the precinct for two weeks, you hear me?"  
"Loud and clear. Hey, Gil. I was wrong. It's not because of you. I'm sorry."  
"I know, kid. I know."  
I smiled and leaned against the wall.


	17. Wait & Hope

"Malcolm! Is your mom still bringing that suit? We have to get these pictures done before we have to leave." I called from the front door as I let in our photographer, Julia Ward.  
"Yeah, babe. She's on her way now." He called back.  
I was already dressed in my floor length black rayon wrap dress with a sultry surplice bodice, fluttering short sleeves and high slit over my right leg. Malcolm was still in black sweat pants and a green hoodie.  
"Will you show Ms. Ward where we were thinking of setting up so I can finish my makeup?" I asked him walking through our kitchen.  
"Of course. I'm sorry she's late." He answered standing up to kiss me as I walked passed him.  
"It's not your fault, baby. I just don't want to rush Ms. Ward or miss our flight."  
I ran my hands through my hair allowing it to cascade down between my shoulder blades. I finished my mascara and rounded out my classy natural look with a dark pink lip.  
I walked back into the living room where Jessica was presenting Malcolm with the garment bag.  
"Thank you, mother." He smiled at her.  
"You've gotta change. We're running late." I insisted.  
"I'm so excited you two are going on a vacation! A real vacation. Time away from all of this murder business." Jessica exclaimed when Malcolm disappeared into the bedroom.  
"Yeah. We need to get our engagement photos taken then to the airport." I smiled at her.  
"I arranged for a ride for you two."  
"You didn't have to do that. We could have just taken a cab." I chuckled softly.  
"Not on my watch."  
I heard the door open and glanced towards the sound.  
"You do look good in white." I smiled at my fiancé.  
"I bet you'll look even better." He smirked.  
"Oh, I fully intend to."  
Julia expertly guided Malcolm and I into various classic engagement poses as his mother looked on off to the side.  
"I'll have these edited and ready for purchase when you guys get back from Tahiti." Julia told us at the front door after collecting her equipment.  
"We look forward to looking over them. Thank you."  
Malcolm and I bid goodbye to Jessica and walked out to find the ride she'd arranged for us.  
"My mother called in a police escort?" Malcolm sighed when Gil walked over to take our bags.  
"Kid, I'd drive you all the way to Tahiti if I could. Nice suit. I'm proud of you."  
Malcolm climbed into the back of the Pontiac so I could sit in the passenger seat.  
"Attention all units. We have a 10-54 DOA at 328 Pearl Street." Dispatch called over the radio almost as soon as Gil turned on the car.  
I sat back in the seat knowing instinctively that Malcolm was looking at Gil.  
"Forget about it. I'm not taking you to a crime scene."  
"Come on, it's practically on the way. Our flight's not for hours."  
"Bright"  
"Look, I'm taking care of myself. But we can still help. How about quick drive-by, then straight to the airport? In and out. I promise. Lily?" He said my name.  
"Do not bring me into this. If Gil says we can go then we go." I answered trying to hold back my laughter.  
"Fine. But only because I want everyone to see you in that suit." Gil conceded.  
I smirked in my seat feeling Malcolm's joy from the backseat.  
"JT, Dani." Gil greeted them as we pulled up outside the building.  
"What up, Miami Vice?" JT joked as Malcolm stepped out of the car.  
"Aw, that's no way to talk to a friend, JT. How is everything? Were you able to kill James Bond?" Dani added.  
I laughed as he glared at me. It was mostly my idea for him to wear the white suit.  
"You never make fun of Lily." He grumbled quietly.  
"Lily will literally kill us." JT answered as we walked into the office where the body lay on the floor.  
"Our vic's name is Jules Connor. Former district attorney. Been in private practice for the past decade. This dude was connected." He continued.  
"Talk to me about that camera." Gil instructed.  
"The security system is all in-house and it's all been fried. Our killer covered his tracks." Dani added.  
"Hmm. Based on the murder weapon, he had a flair for the dramatic. Double-barrel flintlock pistol. Walnut handle, gold filigree." Malcolm observed while I walked carefully around the room.  
"A real pirate's gun."  
"Dates back to the 1730s. I have two."  
"Who invited their coke dealer? I mean, hello. Colonel. I love your chicken." Edrisa teased my love walking into the room.  
"Okay, now, I'm glad I brought you." Gil smiled at him.  
"Hello, Dr. Tanaka. Lily and I were..."  
"Going to poach ivory in the Serengeti. Sorry, I had to do it. Comedy comes in threes. But you can't leave until you see this." She motioned both of us forward.  
"Hmm. Villefort is a central character in The Count of Monte Cristo. One of my favorite books growing up. In the story, the Count's life is destroyed by three men Villefort, Danglars and Fernand. And he enacts his vengeance on them all. We may be looking for a revenge killer with a penchant for poetic justice." Malcolm said looking over at me.  
"And if your profile's right, then two more bodies are gonna drop." I sighed as I walked over to the window and Malcolm walked back behind the desk.  
"We're not gonna let that happen." He did that thing with his eyes that I couldn't manage to deny.  
"While you are on vacation." Gil insisted but I knew Malcolm would convince him to let us work this.  
"What's this?" Edrisa asked moving the body slightly.  
Malcolm and I heard the click at the same time.  
"Edrisa!" He called leaping over the desk and slamming his hand on the trigger.  
"Land mine!" JT yelled.  
"It's a black widow." Malcolm told me.  
"We got a bomb. Get me ESU, the bomb squad and the level-one mobilization. All non-essentials clear the area. Everyone, evacuate now. Edrisa, Get your people out of here." Gil took control of the situation as best as he could.  
"Get the body, let's move. Let's move! Let's go. Come on." Edrisa instructed firmly as I crouched down in front of my fiancé.  
"What the hell is a black widow?" Dani asked.  
"A Russian anti-personnel mine. Been around since the '50s." I answered looking in his eyes.  
"Taliban love these things. Keep that thing steady, bro. The only thing keeping this place from blowing is a weak creep spring on the pressure plate." JT said.  
"Oh, good thing I don't have a hand tremor." Malcolm joked.  
I sighed. If he wasn't stabilizing an actual landmine I might have smacked him.  
"You're making jokes?" Gil asked.  
"There's no reason for you to stay here. I can handle this until the bomb squad gets here." He said loud enough for everyone to hear but he was speaking to me.  
"We're not leaving you." I answered.  
"It's fine. I..." Suddenly the mine clicked again.  
"That's the spring. It's activated." JT told me.  
"Okay, turn of events. This mine is definitely not stable. Uh, which means I need to speak quickly. Uh, JT, auction houses will have records of the gun's sale. Gil, the killer identifies as the Count, which means that the victim would have deemed him inferior or unworthy in some way."  
"You are not dying today." I told him firmly.  
"Lily. I love you so much."  
"I'm not leaving you."  
"I need you to trust me, baby. I can get my way out of this but I need you safe. Lily, please."  
"Come on." Gil touched my shoulders gently.  
"Lily. Tell me." Malcolm asked me.  
"When you get out of this, I will." I told him as Gil lead me out of the room.  
The seconds felt like hours as we waited for the bomb squad to show up.  
"Is it supposed to be taking this long?" I asked Gil as glass shattered above us.  
I looked up as Malcolm leaped out the window followed closely by an explosion.  
"Malcolm!" I screamed out for him as he slammed into the top of Gil's classic car.  
I raced forward towards him.  
"I think we're gonna miss our flight." He told me.  
"I love you, you shit. You're going to give me an aneurysm." I told him.  
The firefighters arrived and helped me get him off the car. After the paramedics checked him over Dani drove us back to my loft so we could change into something more suitable for working.  
"Bright, talk to me about The Count of Monte Cristo." Gil growled at him when we walked in.  
"Well, the story begins on the 24th of February, 1815 in Marseilles, when a three-masted ship - named the Pharaon..."  
I squeezed his waist gently.  
"Kid." Gil warned.  
"The Count was in prison for 14 years because he was wronged by three men. Our killer identifies with that. To him, this wasn't murder. Connor was executed for a crime. His original sin."  
"Lieutenant Arroyo, there's a Inspector Boville on the line." An officer told him from the doorway.  
I looked up at Malcolm already knowing what was happening. I'd read the book too.  
"Who?"  
"It's my father. Boville was the detective in The Count of Monte Cristo. He must have figured something out. He called me at the crime scene - when I was alone with the mine." Malcolm told me holding onto me.  
"Why'd you pick up?"  
"I was in a weird place. I'll talk to him myself."  
He tried to walk away from me.  
"No. Put him through." Gil said.  
"The hell you just say?" JT asked him.  
"Excuse me?" Dani added.  
I wasn't thrilled about the idea but I'd rather us all be together than him talking to him alone.  
"You're gonna talk to your dad, we do it together as a team." Gil looked at me.  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"  
"Nope."  
"Dr. Whitly, you're on with me and the rest of the team." Malcolm answered the phone.  
"Really? The gang's all there?" Martian's voice asked.  
"I hope you're calling about the case."  
"Well, yes. I've been thinking about your body. You know, Villefort was procureur du roi - "prosecutor to the king.""  
"Our victim was a former D. A. He could be responsible for sentencing our killer to prison."  
"Mm, I don't think it's so one-to-one, Malcolm. You said there was a bomb?"  
"Land mine." JT answered.  
"Ooh. Who said that?"  
"Nobody."  
"I don't think the bomb was meant for our victim. I think it was meant for all of you. You know, the police do prosecute for the king. Maybe you should have joined the family profession, Malcolm, by which I mean medicine."  
"Okay, we're done." Malcolm reached forward to end the call.  
"Hold on. Could this be about something the police helped cover up for Connor?" Gil asked.  
"Oh, that's good. Is that you, Gil? Who else is there? Should we do quick introductions?"  
"Dr. Whitly, if you don't have anything else."  
"Now, I would like to discuss the cause of death."  
"He used a flintlock pistol." I said.  
"Hello Lilian. An antique. Oh, how romantic. And intricate. You know, uh, it takes a lot of time and investment to load and fire."  
"Our killer wasn't in a rush. He savored all of this, every detail."  
"Which is why they may run the risk of being overly myopic, you know, that they may, uh, focus too much on the details and miss something in the overall gestalt. That's how we're gonna catch him."  
"I got a hit on the gun. The pistol was purchased at an auction last year by William Voight. He's a money manager to the one-percenters." Dani added.  
"Oh, there's another lady cop? Oh, how wonderf..."  
Malcolm reached forward and ended the call.  
"Your dad seems nice." Dani smiled at Malcolm.  
"He's not." He offered her a short chuckle.  
"Why would a guy like William Voight kill Connor?" I asked leaning against Malcolm.  
"Let's find out." He wrapped his arm around me again.  
Malcolm begrudgingly sat in my backseat so Gil could sit beside me as we drove over to Voight's loft.  
"Hello? NYPD." Gil called into the room.  
We heard muffled yelling from around the corner. As we rounded the corner, William Voight was bound at the center of a circle of swords.  
"The Sword of Damocles." Malcolm muttered next to me.  
"It's another trap and Voight's at the center of it." Gil looked between me and Malcolm.  
"We trip any of these wires, the swords will fall, and they're all anchored to Voight. If he moves, he dies." Malcolm explained taking off his coat and walking to the back of the room.  
"What're you doing?" I asked pointedly.  
"I'm gonna save this guy. Dani, JT, get up on the balcony." He looked at me and ran to slide under the wires into the middle of the circle.  
"You got to get me out of this." Voight told him as Dani and JT made it to their separate sides of the balcony.  
"Good idea. I need you guys to cut the lines, one at a time."   
"But what about the swords plunging at our key witness?" JT argued.  
"I'm gonna catch them."  
"Malcolm!" I protested.  
"Bright. We have to call someone." Gil agreed next to me.  
"Who we gonna call The department of falling sword death? That's us. Besides, I'm a two-time silver medal axe thrower."  
"Silver medal." Gil sighed looking at me.  
"That's actually true. He has them in one of those intricate boxes in a drawer on his weapon wall."  
"Start cutting. Easy."  
"Here comes number one." JT stated chancing a glance at me.  
"Okay. Now two." Malcolm looked at me too.  
"Number three."  
I flinched as the first sword flew towards them and Malcolm caught it in his hand.  
"Now you. Okay, William, while we're here, do you have any idea who would do this to you?"  
"No, I didn't see his face. He must have drugged me, and then I woke up like this."  
"Bright, cutting now." Dani called out.  
He caught another falling sword.  
"You know, your antique pistol was recently used in a homicide?"  
"Yeah, Connor. Look, yeah, it wasn't my gun. I acquired it for one of my clients, uh, for a collection, and I think these might be his swords, but it wasn't him who did this."  
"Got another one." JT called.  
"Oh, God!" I sighed flinching again.  
"Ooh! Who's the client? Because right now, they look pretty guilty."  
"You know I can't tell you that."  
"Is he connected to Connor? Come on, William, tell me before it's too late."  
"Bright, you can't threaten him."  
"I'm not threatening him, just being pragmatic. This is scary stuff." He smiled innocently at me.  
"Cutting the next line. Another one."  
"Oh, God! Aah! Calvin Taylor!"  
Malcolm caught another sword. I was about five seconds from having an actual heart attack.  
"Your client was the Cal Taylor?" I asked suddenly.  
"Yeah." Voight looked at me for what was probably the first time.  
"You're Lilian Russell." He said.  
"I am, yes."  
"There are only two left, and they're tethered to him. We're coming down." Dani called.  
"Like a deadly 7-10 split." Malcolm said.  
"The Taylors. A few years ago, the boat crash." Voight said still looking at me.  
"I remember the story. Official report was that a cook's daughter stole a boat and crashed it, drowned in the sea. It always stank of a cover-up." Gil looked at me.  
"Couldn't we talk about this later?" Voight asked.  
"Hopefully. You cut, I'll catch." Malcolm looked at Dani.  
"You brought it up. Why?" I pushed.  
"Okay, here it comes." Dani told Malcolm.  
Malcolm lunged and caught the sword flying down from behind Voight. I watched the sword fall towards Voight's face. JT reached out and grabbed the hilt of the falling sword.  
"So is now a good time to talk?" Malcolm smirked at me.  
"Why do you do this to me?" I asked him leaning against him.  
"I'm sorry." He hugged me to him.  
"No, you aren't. I love you anyway."  
"I love you too."  
"Connor and I worked for the Taylors. We handled the whole Isabella situation. I recognize you from the FBI team who was investigating the Taylors." Voight told me.  
"I remember. You were very instrumental in making our lives difficult."  
"Which situation, exactly?" Gil asked next to me.  
"Well, she was the cook's daughter. She didn't steal the boat, she wasn't alone. Cal Taylor was with her. They were an item. He was drunk and high and she was underage."  
"Not the type of details you want spilled on Page Six." Malcolm mentioned.  
"Exactly. After the crash, Cal was able to swim to shore, but Isabella wasn't so lucky."  
"But you covered all that up." I sighed.  
"Connor handled the police and I moved the money."  
"Isn't it Cal's wedding tonight?" Malcolm asked.  
"Yep. Tally and I are doing a whole thing. Watching it live. She's gonna wear a hat." JT smiled at us.  
"When we spoke to my father, he called the killings romantic. I think our Count would agree. He's gonna kill Cal at his own wedding. Did we get an invite to the wedding?" He asked me.  
"Of course we did. I'm the sole heiress to the Russell fortune." I teased him.  
"Well, if it's about the accident, then it's got to be somebody close to Isabella." Gil mentioned.  
"What happened to the cook? Her father." Malcolm asked.  
"We sent him back to Ecuador." He told us.  
"Dani and JT run down her family. Bright and I will talk to Cal. You should call your lawyer. We're not done."  
"I'm going to go to the FBI office and pull my file on the Taylors. Do not let him die." I told Gil.  
"Like I can stop him." He shook his head.  
"And you. No more near death experiences." I growled at him.  
"No promises, my love." He smirked at me.  
I sighed and shook my head.  
When I arrived back at the precinct Gil was back to trying to convince Malcolm that we could leave now that Ernesto was in custody. I already knew that he wanted to attend the Taylor wedding. He wouldn't have asked me about the invitation if he didn't.  
"You don't look like someone thinking about taking a vacation." Dani mentioned as we walked over to her SUV.  
"I don't like Ernesto for this." He sighed.  
"Wow, you just can't take a break, can you?"  
"It's not that."  
"Isn't it? I think it's time that you had the profile turned on you for once. Why can't you just tune it all out? Walk away from it? What are you so afraid of?"  
"I'm afraid of me. The more relaxed things are out there, the more time I have to think in here. And when that happens..."  
"It's terrifying. Even with Lily? But you already know all this, don't you?" She looked at me and I nodded.  
"Yeah. Imagine a theater that only plays horror films about you."  
"That is the worst idea for a movie theater I have ever heard. I don't think anybody would go." Dani smiled softly.  
"Right? But the problem is I'm trapped inside."  
"All right, so, where are we really going?" She asked looking at me again.  
"I have a terrible idea."  
I sighed and nodded when her eyes widened.  
"Malcolm. Oh, what a wonderful surprise. And you brought company. Oh, delightful. I'm Martin. What has he told you about me? All good, I hope." Martin said cheerfully.  
"Does Lilian know about this?"  
"Hello, Martin." I said finally stepping into the room.  
"Dr. Whitly, this is Detective Powell of the NYPD." Malcolm introduced her.  
"Ah. A friend?" He asked her still eyeing me.  
"Partner."  
"Ah. Well. Whatever you kids are calling it these days. Have a seat. Uh, how are you? I heard you met John. I was worried about you."  
I took a step forward but Malcolm reached for my arm.  
"After he kidnapped me, John Watkins told me about the camping trip. You took me there because I found the girl in the box." Malcolm confronted him.  
"John always had an active imagination."  
"You were going to kill me."  
"Malcolm. I have done bad things. But I never did that. I mean, if I wanted to kill you I would have."  
I watched his face as he spoke to his son. I still wasn't sure what to believe. Neither of these men were reliable sources of information. I caught his gaze fall to my hand and I knew my new engagement ring didn't escape his notice.  
"Is there something you have to tell me?" He asked his son taking a step forward.  
I felt Malcolm stiffen beside me and stepped forward between them.  
"We're here to solve a case." Dani said in an attempt to defuse the situation.  
"Let's do that." I said still looking right into his face.  
Martin reached out and grabbed my left wrist.  
"It is beautiful, Malcolm." He ran his thumb over the ring on my finger.  
"Don't touch her." Malcolm hissed over my shoulder.  
"Malcolm." I said his name gently.  
As badly as I didn't want his hands on me I knew that if we upset him too much we wouldn't get what we needed.  
"When?" Martin asked me.  
"Midnight on New Years." I answered.  
"A little cliché, no?"  
"We spent the entirety of the last decade getting to know one another. We're starting the new decade pledging our lives to one another." I answered.  
"Sickeningly romantic." He sighed releasing my hand.  
"We arrested a suspect. A good one." Dani pushed again.  
"Ticks all the boxes. But something doesn't feel right." Malcolm conceded touching my waist.  
"All right. Tell me everything."  
Malcolm, Dani, and I set Martin up with the file on Ernesto.  
"I got to say, I don't like Ernesto for this, either. We're agreed on that." Martin said after looking over the file.  
"Why? He has all the indicators of suspicion. Means, motive, opportunity." Dani asked as I stood off to the side.  
I had no desire to go back and forth with Martin Whitly anymore than I had to.  
"Oh, but where are the intangibles? The passion, the finesse. The joie de vivre. Killing people is not easy, believe you me."  
"You're right. Where's the drama in this story?" Malcolm asked.  
"Well, I'll tell you. Between father and son. George Taylor always wanted his son to live, uh, a certain life, even if Cal didn't agree. And according to Page Six, Cal has felt trapped by his family for years. If George is forcing Cal into a life he doesn't want... Marriage without love... That could cause anyone to snap."  
"So you think Cal's gonna kill his father."  
"Well, I mean, I could be projecting. But he certainly has motive. Add to that a classical education, enough time in the Army to learn about land mines. He could be showing off for his father. An almost narcissistic display of premeditation. Which means his final act of justice will be delivered in the most public way possible." Martin concluded.  
"The wedding." Malcolm looked over at me.  
"We have to stop Cal before he kills his dad." Dani said urgently.  
"We have to get to that wedding." Malcolm told me.  
"They're never gonna let me in like this." Dani told us.  
"I've got this." I told her.  
We raced back to my home where I found Dani and I dresses to wear to the wedding. I chose a floor length dark navy halter dress with an open back and mermaid silhouette for myself and a floor length burgundy sequined V-neck strapless mermaid gown for Dani.  
After pulling my hair up into a sleek and elegant ponytail I helped Dani straighten her naturally curly hair and style it into a night bun with side swept bangs.  
"Can I ask you something?" I asked gently before we joined Malcolm.  
"Of course you can." She smiled at me.  
"I know this isn't traditionally how this is done but I'd like to ask you if you'll be my maid of honor?"  
"Of course I will." She smiled at me looking slightly taken aback.  
"Did you ask Ashlyn first?"  
"No. What I need most in a maid of honor is someone who will be able to help keep Malcolm and I calm throughout this planning process. Ashlyn has never been that for me. She's an amazing friend and I love her dearly but you have a way with him that is only second to myself and the way you helped me while he was missing... You were always my first choice." I explained.  
Dani and I met Malcolm down in the living room.  
"You both look incredible." He smiled between us.  
"You clean up nice too." I teased.  
It was effortless for me to get both Dani and Malcolm into the wedding reception so we could find Cal and George Taylor. However, I caught sight of Jessica Whitly a fraction of a second before she saw us, but not in enough time to steer Malcolm away from her.  
"Malcolm? I knew you'd never join a conga line! What the hell are you doing here?" She sighed angrily.  
Conga line?  
"Do you really want to know why we're here?" I asked with a small smile.  
"A case? God. Fine. Just whatever you do, please don't embarrass me." She glared pointedly at Malcolm.  
"Lily, Bright, there's Cal." Dani said touching my shoulder.  
"Go on. I want to walk the perimeter." I told them.  
Malcolm leaned over and kissed me.  
"Be careful." He breathed.  
"I'm not the one who almost died twice today." I winked at him.  
My mind raced as I watched the guests and the vendors mingling around the room. I wasn't sold that Cal was our killer. It didn't fit. The cover up benefitted him. He's not in prison for criminally negligent manslaughter. Did they ever find her body?  
"Lily. Bright thinks that Isabella is still alive and that she's targeting George Taylor." Dani said quietly rushing up to me.  
"Then she's here. Let's find her."  
Dani and I branched off to opposite sides of the room to search for Isabella.  
"When I was a kid, I knew my father would've done anything for me. Anything. But that doesn't mean that he was always right. You see, fathers do bone it from time to time." Malcolm's voice broke into my consciousness.  
"That perfect life they always wanted for you... Maybe it was all wrong. That special girl that they didn't approve of... Maybe she was the one. That accident they covered up... Maybe it didn't have to be so tragic."  
Isabella suddenly stood in the center of the room almost directly in between Dani and I. She was too far for me to rush her without her seeing me. Malcolm knew and looked at me as I motioned Dani forward.  
"He's not worth it, Isabella. None of them are. You can find peace. Without killing. Dumas said it best: "All of human wisdom can be summed up in these two words: 'Wait and hope. '"   
"Thank you." She said quietly before pulling an antique gun from her camera bag.  
"Gun!" Malcolm yelled out spinning away from me and rushing at George Taylor as the gun went off.  
"Malcolm!" I called his name as Dani knocked Isabella's gun away from her.  
"Lily! Go!" She called to me.  
I spun on my heel and raced over and around the table Malcolm launched himself over.  
"You saved my life. Thank you." George told him as they stood up.  
"You should be in cuffs, too. And you will be." Malcolm said with a sigh.  
"You're okay?" I asked as he stepped into my arms.  
"I'm okay." He answered kissing my hair.  
"That was outstanding. You're-you're a hero. What is your name?" A blonde woman said leaning over the table towards him with Jessica standing behind her.  
"Malcolm. I'm Jessica Whitly's son." He smiled at his mother.  
"Yes, he is. Darlings, I find myself underwhelmed by the social scene here. Shall we?" She asked reaching for us.  
"You really were spectacular in there. And you did look happy." She smiled at him as he walked between us.  
"When I'm on a case, I usually am." He smiled glancing at me.  
"Well, to each his own, my love." She conceded.  
Outside Jessica met with Gil and who nodded at us.  
"I guess murder really does follow you everywhere." Ainsley said as we walked over to where she was setting up.  
"I could say the same for you." I teased.  
"Hey, you want to know something weird? The table they put Mom at It was full of media people. Almost like she got the invite because someone in that world went to bat for her." Malcolm smiled at his sister.  
"I don't know what you're talking about. Did she look happy?" She asked looking between us.  
"Very. You did a good thing, Ains."  
"Ainsley? We're ready for you." Her cameraman called to her.  
"I'll see you later." She smiled.  
I sighed leaning my head on his shoulder.  
"We might be able to catch a redeye out to Tahiti." He suggested walking us towards Dani's SUV.  
"We probably could but your mom's right. You are the happiest when we're working. We are taking an uninterrupted honeymoon though." I looked up into his face.  
"I wouldn't have it any other way."


	18. Eye of the Needle

I sat across the interrogation table in a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark green collared button up v-neck top with three inch leather ankle boots as John Watkins stared silently at me perhaps expecting to intimidate me.  
"You think you can figure me out?" He asked after roughly fifteen minutes of staring.  
"It is my job." I shrugged unfazed.  
"I've operated under the noses of some of the top detectives, FBI agents, and various other law enforcement officials for over forty years. Do you really think that I'd be here right now if I didn't want to be?"  
"I actually thought of that. Then Malcolm told me that you said he stabbed you when he was ten and that got me thinking... Malcolm was searching for answers about his past when we stumbled upon your junkyard back in mid November but for you it was different. Seeing him again, over twenty years after he stabbed you... Your need to interact with him overrode your need to remain anonymous. It even overrode your need for killing. Until Turner found himself right on your trail. Couldn't let anyone get in your way; you had a lot to discuss with Malcolm, didn't you?"  
"He didn't remember any of it, but you know that. Of course, you do. Of course he told you everything. Don't think your new ring escaped my attention."  
"I wasn't hiding it. Sure, I want to avoid a trial but should you insist on one I will be there every day to make sure you pay for the lives you've taken and the damage you've done." I paused as my phone began vibrating in my pocket.  
Malcolm <3  
"If you'll excuse me..." I stood up to walk out of the room.  
"Hey, babe. What's up?" I answered the phone.  
"Mom and I found a body on the carousel in Central Park. I need you." He told me.  
"A body? I'll be right there."  
I raced over to the park and found Jessica, Malcolm and the team surrounding the carousel.  
"You're saying Martin Whitly is somehow behind this?" JT asked as I approached the group.  
"With that man, anything is possible." Jessica responded.  
"Do you think we should question your dad?" Dani asked Malcolm who smiled uncomfortably at me as I joined them.  
"No, I don't. I mean not yet. Martin Whitly's psychopathic. He's not superhuman." Malcolm sighed.  
"It's also unnecessary 'cause you're completely wrong. Sorry, that came out harsher than I intended. I was going for, like, a playful repartee. Have I mentioned how much I missed you?" Edrisa looked between us.  
"We missed you, too. Now tell me why I'm completely wrong."  
"He died last night. You know, based on the lividity, he spent several hours on his side, in a fetal position."  
"Like in the trunk of a car." I mused.  
"But the call came in to the tip line this morning." Jessica looked at Gil.  
"Which means our killer was the one who called you. He wanted you to find the body." Malcolm looked at his mother who looked at me.  
"The best thing we can do is go back to the station and gather our thoughts. Let Edrisa run a full autopsy." I looked at her.  
"Come on." Malcolm touched her shoulder as we lead her back to my car.  
"When he called the tip line, he didn't leave a name?" Malcolm asked his mother gently as I sat on the table next to him in the conference room.  
"You got to see this." Gil said rushing into the room and turning on the television.  
"Oh, who picked out that blazer? She looks like the carpet at the DMV." Jessica exclaimed upon seeing her daughter on the screen.  
"You didn't answer my question. Why did you kill that man?" Ainsley asked on the screen.  
"I chose him at random to let everyone know I'm serious." A distorted voice answered.  
"Is this live?" I asked touching Malcolm's shoulder as he rubbed his mother's arm.  
"The killer called in a few minutes ago." Gil answered.  
"Serious about what?" Ainsley asked.  
"Your mother Jessica Whitly. She went on TV and offered a million dollars for information about one of her husband's victims."  
"I'm aware."  
"Like she's some kind of hero. But she's not. She's a fraud and a hypocrite."  
"My mother is neither of those things."  
"The chickens are coming home to roost."  
"What?" Ainsley exclaimed angrily before regaining her composure.  
"What, exactly, do you want?"  
"I want that money. I'll call back with instructions. If she doesn't listen, more people will die."  
Jessica pushed Malcolm's hand away from her and stood up to walk over to the window.  
"No good deed goes unpunished. If I hadn't gone on TV, I hadn't offered that money..." She looked truly distraught.  
"You can't think like that." Malcolm insisted walking over towards her.  
"Why? The killer just announced it to millions of people. That man is dead because of me."  
"No. He's dead because someone killed him, not you. You were just trying to do some actual good." I interjected still sitting on the conference room table.  
"I want to pay. It is a small price to ensure that no more lives are lost." She turned to Gil.  
"NYPD policy is firm. We do not cooperate with extortionists."  
"I don't give a flying fuck!" She exclaimed.  
"Mother! Gil's right. We'll send an officer to the house. The smartest thing you can do right now is go home and let us do our jobs. Please." Malcolm looked at me for assistance.  
"Malcolm's right Jess. You know we're the best at what we do. We'll find this guy. Let Adolpho take you home and we'll let you know when we find anything out." I assured her leading her out of the room.  
"Alright. Alright." She conceded.  
I walked Jessica out to the SUV.  
"Trust us, Jess. We'll find this guy."  
"I know you will." She faked a smile at me.  
"He's after the notoriety." Gil nodded as I walked back into the room after seeing her off.  
"Yes. Except he didn't call a random newscast. He called Ainsley, told her "the chickens are coming home to roost," and then demanded money from our mother. This killer has been wronged by the Whitlys." Malcolm answered looking at me.  
"Okay, well, we're gonna need a list of all the people connected to your father's victims." Gil answered.  
"That's a long-ass list... No offense." JT looked between us.  
"None taken. Start with the Lehrer brothers."  
"Who?" Dani asked.  
"The Surgeon killed their mother in '96, but he wasn't connected with the crime for three years. In the meantime they went to jail for it." I answered.  
"My mother offered them a settlement. She wanted to help them. They insisted on a jury trial and lost."  
"Financially motivated with a personal vendetta. That fits." JT nodded.  
"JT and I will take them. Dani, you, Bright, and Lily get down to ADN." Gil told us.  
I met directly with the head of the news station while Malcolm and Dani met with Ainsley and her boss downstairs.  
"I can't just allow you to put a trap and trace on our phones." Mr. Daniel Lewis told me brashly.  
"Even if it means more people will die?" I asked.  
"I'm sure the entire city of New York would be interested to hear your take and my future sister-in- law will happily report it should I ask her to."  
"Fine. Fine." He sighed reluctantly.  
"No one wants this to end more than my family does." I reminded him walking out of the room.  
"Bro? Pacing? Not helping." Ainsley called at Malcolm as I walked into the studio flanked by Leslie Harris.  
"We're cutting in again." She said beside me.  
"The killer's on the line?" Ainsley asked.  
"Well a killer's on the line."  
I sighed looking at Malcolm.  
"Welcome back. I'm getting word that Dr. Martin Whitly, also known as The Surgeon, also known as my father, is on the phone." Ainsley reported as Malcolm, Dani, and I stood in the control room with Leslie.  
"Hello. Uh, am I live?" Martin's voice said from the phone.  
"Hello, Dr. Whitly."  
"Well, hello, Ainsley. Uh, first-time, longtime. I'm very excited to be here with you."  
"So you'll just put anything on the air? If it bleeds, it leads?" Dani muttered next to me.  
"The Carousel Killer threatened to kill someone. My hands were tied. And it doesn't hurt our ratings."  
"Oh, that-that's the photo you're going with? Well It's not my best angle, but, uh c'est la vie."  
"Okay, Ainsley, see if you can steer him into a soundbite." Leslie pushed.  
"Can I get one of those?" Malcolm asked.  
Leslie handed him a headset.  
"Dr. Whitly, why are you calling in, exactly?"  
"Because I want to help! You know, just in case there are any NYPD consultants out there that could benefit from my, uh, my insights."  
"Well, Doctor, since this is apparently a call-in show now, sure. Let's hear your insights."  
"Uh, well, profit-motivated killers have always mystified me. You know, taking a human life for something as tawdry as money, uh but I guess that's easy to say when your wife's loaded."  
"Ex-wife."  
"Then again, uh, I don't think our killer is motivated one whit by the money. In fact, it's clear his motivation is all about, me."  
"He's a psychopath and a narcissist. Everything is always about him." Malcolm sighed into the headset.  
"Well you are a diagnosed psychopath and narcissist. Isn't everything always about you?" Ainsley repeated.  
"Well, that may be. Uh, but even a broken psyche is right twice a day. And I'd bet my life that, uh, this Carousel Killer is connected to one of my alleged victims."  
"You don't need to say "alleged" when you're already serving time."  
"Yeah, but it has such a beautiful ring to it, don't you think?"  
"Ainsley, when you get a chance, ask him, why does he think the money doesn't matter?"  
"I have a question from one of our producers. Why do you think the money doesn't matter?"  
"A producer, really? Astute question. Well, it's the ostentation of it all. You know, the dead body on the carousel, calling into your program there's a performative quality about it that makes me think and, you know, this is just one man's opinion that, this is all a distraction. You know, this killer really wants something else."  
"Ask him..." Malcolm started but Ainsley cut him off.  
"And what do you think the killer really wants?"  
"She's got this, Malcolm." I reached forward and touched his chest.  
"Oh damn. Looks like I'm out of phone time. But, you know, feel free to book me on a segment anytime. Bye, sweetheart!"  
"Once again, that was The Surgeon, Dr. Martin Whitly, notorious serial killer."  
"And clear."  
"And embarrassing father." She sighed laying her head on the desk.  
"You do look great in that headset." I smirked at my lover.  
"Yes?" Leslie answered the phone next to us.  
"Is it the killer?" Malcolm asked.  
"This is it. He wants to go on now. Okay, we're back in five, people." She nodded at us.  
"I'm Ainsley Whitly for ADN, and I'm getting word that the Carousel Killer is back on the line. Sir, are you there?" She asked.  
"Are you enjoying this?" The distorted voice said harshly.  
"I was hoping for a light first day. Then you called." She shook her head.  
"Well, I'm sure your ratings are soaring. Just like a Whitly to profit off the misfortune of others."  
"Jessica Whitly has done so much for this city, and she doesn't deserve this. No one does."  
"But they do. Admit it. You people don't care if some random stranger gets killed."  
"Of course I care. And I don't think that you're in a place to be making moral judgments. You literally have the word "killer" in your name."  
"Ains, listen. He keeps saying "random," but he burned the fingerprints off the victim in the park. He doesn't want us to know who he was." Malcolm told his sister.  
"You know, I think? I think that maybe this victim wasn't random at all."  
"Enough small talk. Here are my instructions for Jessica Whitly."  
"Hold on! This is my show, and I ask the questions. Who is that man you killed? Tell me, or I will cut to commercial and you won't get your million dollars."  
I looked over at Malcolm. His sister was spending entirely too much time with us.  
"He was an accessory. In 30 minutes, your mother will bring the money to the place where she first met your father."  
The line went dead.  
"Uh, I'm sorry, we have been disconnected. As you know, this is a developing situation, and ADN will continue to provide updates as they come in."  
Malcolm pulled out his cellphone and called their mom.  
"Possibly. I need you to tell me the spot where you first met Dad." He asked.  
"You're planning to pay the ransom. Don't do this. It's too dangerous. Tell me the meeting spot."  
"Ash. Give me a location on Jessica Whitly." I said into my phone after she hung up on her son.  
"We got a lock on the killer's phone. Those extra seconds did it." Dani said as we walked up on Malcolm and Ainsley.  
"Jessica's phone is pinging really close to there too." I added.  
Dani stayed with Ainsley as I drove Malcolm out to the park where his parent's met. Jessica was standing with GIl near the south gate.  
"He did it anyway. I did what he wanted and he still killed him." She leaned into Malcolm.  
"We searched everywhere, but there's no sign of him." JT said walking up to us.  
"Why? Why would anyone do that? You'd think I'd understand after all these years, but I don't." Jessica sighed as we guided her over to the SUV.  
"That's a good thing. You're not supposed to." I insisted.  
"Adolpho's here. I'll have uniformed officers waiting at home." Gil assured her next to me.  
"Wait, that's it? You're not gonna scream at me for not listening to you both?" She looked between Malcolm and Gil.  
"It's not your fault. It's mine. This guy's been toying with us all day." Malcolm said.  
"Go easy on yourself, both of you. If I flew off the handle every time a Whitly went rogue on me, I'd never get anything done." He smiled at them.  
"Million dollars. Gone. Could've fixed my Le Mans with that." Gil sighed while Malcolm lead his mom the rest of the way to the SUV.  
"You could just let me pay for it." I reminded him.  
"This is psychological warfare. The killer wanted to humiliate my mother by flaunting his disregard for her wealth. He wanted my sister to look like some craven muckraker." Malcolm growled angrily wrapping his arm around me.  
"According to Ari, he's a white male, 40s. I've already spoken to almost all of the family members of your father's victims so far that's a dead end." Gil told us.  
"Still no ID on the body on the carousel?" I asked.  
"DNA didn't match anyone in the system." Gil shook his head.  
"The killer said he was an 'accessory.'" I reminded them.  
"To him or my father?" Malcolm squeezed my waist and looked down at me before walking away.  
"Where are you going?" Gil called after him.  
"To ask him myself." He called back.  
"I guess we're going to see Martin." I sighed before following Malcolm up to my car.  
"My boy. Oh, it's so good to see you. How was vacay? Tell me everything." Martin exclaimed as Malcolm and I walked into the room.  
"Did you know this man?" Malcolm showed him the picture of the man from the carousel.  
"You want to talk about work. Okay. Uh I don't think so. I mean, it's hard to tell with the postmortem bloating. Why?" Martin looked at the picture before looking up at me.  
"We think he's somehow connected to one of your victims."  
"Well you know more about my victims than anyone. Start there... You've already done that."  
"None of their families match our killer, at least not one of the 23 that everybody knows about. But what about the others?" Malcolm pushed.  
"Now, who says there are others?" Martin looked at me.  
"People have always speculated, and I know there's at least one more." Malcolm cut back in drawing his gaze away from me.  
"Hey, did you see my appearance on Ainsley's show? Not bad, right? I mean, I'm no Regis, at least not yet." Martin changed the subject.  
"Are you sure you've never seen him before?"  
"Nope. I'm sorry."  
"Damn it. We've got to go." Malcolm looked at me.  
"Don't leave angry. I want to help."  
Malcolm and I started towards the door as it opened and Jessica walked in.  
"Well, this truly is my lucky day." Martin looked between his son and ex-wife.  
"I need to talk to your father, alone." Jessica looked at me almost for support.  
"Jessie, darling, we were not expecting you. Not that I'm complaining. Oh, gosh, when was the last time the three of us were together like this? Could it be at that pumpkin patch in Ossining?"  
"It was your murder trial."  
"Ah, yes. You're right. Oh, good times."  
"Why are you here, Mother?" Malcolm looked at her cautiously.  
"I have something urgent to discuss with your father. I just need a minute alone with him."  
Something wasn't right. I read her face effortlessly.  
"Well, as much as it pains me to say this, I don't think I'm allowed a conjugal visit right now. I'm a little on thin ice when it comes to privileges."  
I glared over at him.  
"I'm very familiar with your stress reactions. What's going on?" Malcolm pushed his mother.  
"Nothing." She shook her head.  
"Did the killer contact you? He's holding something over your head. What is it?"  
"Look at him go, dear. Profiler extraordinaire." Martin gushed.  
"Shut up. What happened?"  
"Malcolm, I am begging you: go." She looked at me again almost begging.  
"You're working up your nerve. There's something he wants you to do. That's your purse from the park. The one you lost. What's in there?"  
"I'm quite certain, son, you're not supposed to ask a lady that."  
"Do you ever shut up?" I sighed.  
"You're here to kill him." Malcolm figured drawing my attention.  
"Sorry, what's that now?" Martin said from his chair.  
"He says your father has to die." She said pulling a ceramic knife out of the purse.  
"You're not working with a clear head. The killer's gotten under your skin. You're not going to do this." Malcolm urged as I positioned myself between them and the door almost like a shield.  
"Why? How do you know that I won't?" Jessica challenged her son.  
"Because you're a good person. And going through with this makes you like him. And you are nothing like him."  
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that, Malcolm. I can see a look in her eyes."  
"We should call Gil." Malcolm looked at me.  
"No. The killer will know if I call the police. And he will know if I don't go through with it." She pleaded with me.  
"How was he planning to verify? Did he give you any sort of camera?" I asked.  
"No, he just said that I have 30 minutes to go through with it, and if I don't, an innocent woman will die. Here. See for yourself." She pulled out a polaroid of a middle aged African American.  
"Who is she?" Malcolm asked next to me.  
"He didn't say." She shook her head.  
"That's Cathy Paul. I used to do the occasional surgery at Tarrytown Medical Center. Cathy was a, an OR nurse there. Actually, do you have that other photo? Ah. Well, now I see it. That's Dr. Jack Weaver. He assisted me with the procedures. Man had terrible breath. Oh, I shouldn't speak ill of the dead." Martin said walking up next to Malcolm.  
"Did anybody ever die on your table there?" I asked.  
"Only one. Uh, Amelia Wheaton. Congenital heart defect. She never had a chance."  
"Did you purposely kill her?" Malcolm asked.  
"I never hurt a patient on purpose. I followed the Hippocratic Oath to the letter. Albeit with one small asterisk."  
"We've been looking for someone connected to your victims, but this killer is connected to one of your patients." I mused.  
"And he blames Cathy, too. In his eyes, she's an accessory to murder."  
"Accessory." I sighed.  
"Malcolm, what are we going to do?" Jessica asked as Malcolm took the knife and walked to the other side of the room.  
"I just need a minute to think." He sighed.  
"We don't have a minute. A good woman dies so that a bad man can live?"  
"Jess..." I held my hand up to her walking over to Malcolm.  
"You know, I consulted on three operations this week. Three. Saved lives. I mean, maybe I'm the good person." Martin hissed.  
"You're not... a good person." Malcolm shot at his father before looking at me.  
"He tried to kill me when I was ten years old. I found the girl. I'd learned what he was. And he wanted to silence me." He told his mom.  
I sighed. He didn't want to tell her this.  
"This is... John Watkins told him this. He's taking the word of a serial killer over..." Martin growled.  
"Over who? A serial killer? You bastard." Jessica glared at Martin.  
"Yes, it's true. I took you up to the cabin to kill you. The chloroform had lost its efficacy, so I thought I'd nip it in the bud. But I couldn't bring myself to go through with it. That was my choice. And God knows I've been paying for it ever since. You made sure of that."  
Instinctively, I moved to place myself between Malcolm and his father.  
"I never imagined my opinion of you could drop any lower. We're out of time." Jessica walked over to Malcolm and I.  
"Well, the solution is clear. If this man told you to kill me, then kill me." Martin said standing before me.  
"What?" Jessica joined me standing in front of Malcolm.  
"You heard. I'm the villain here. The monster. So vanquish me. I hereby put myself on the chopping block."  
"Don't be such a martyr."  
"Come on, boy! Remember Old Jeb Waller. What would he do?" I felt Malcolm flinch behind me as Martin approached us.  
"Who?" Jessica asked but I knew exactly who he was referring to.  
"Are you sure?" Malcolm asked touching my shoulder before pressing the tip of the knife against his father's chest.  
It wasn't a good option but it was the only option. I moved slightly to the side so Malcolm could stand between Jessica and I.  
"Well, look at that. Steady as a statue." Martin smirked at me.  
"No, no. No, no, no, no, no. Malcolm. Malcolm, you do not have to do this." Jessica tried to reason with her son.  
"He's right. It's the only way." Malcolm said glancing at me.  
It killed me to do it but I nodded my approval.  
"My boy." Martin smiled at him as Malcolm drove the knife into his chest.  
As Martin fell to the ground I rushed Malcolm and Jessica out of the room so Mr. David could tend to him.  
"What did you do?" She asked me.  
"It was the only way. It's going to be okay." I assured her.  
"How?" She shook her head as Malcolm sat on the bench.  
"Trust in me, Jess."  
She nodded unsure.  
Malcolm and I followed Martin's ambulance to the hospital.  
"Are you sure about this?" I asked him as we watched his father's surgery.  
"I'm not a killer, Lily." He sighed.  
"I know that, babe. I gave the go-ahead. This was the only way." I touched his shoulder again.  
"There. That's him." Malcolm stood up pointing at a man who carried a tray into the operating room.  
"Go." I urged him forward.  
I took another look down at Martin lying on the table before following Malcolm out into the hallway.  
"How did you find me?" Corey Wheaton asked as I rushed up behind my fiancé.  
"I was wondering how you'd know Martin Whitly was dead. The cameras at Claremont are ancient, impossible to hack. They haven't hired new guards there in years. It's what they don't have: an operating room. A morgue. This hospital handles both. So all you needed was some stolen scrubs and a badge. Your wife Amelia had a heart condition. Martin Whitly tried to save her." Malcolm explained.  
"He murdered her."  
"For what it's worth, The Surgeon never killed any of his patients." I shook my head touching Malcolm's shoulder.  
"There's just one thing I can't figure out. Why now?" Malcolm asked.  
"I thought I'd moved on. But then there's this interview and a news conference. Suddenly, it's the Whitlys everywhere, reminding me of Amelia and everything I lost. Why do they get to be happy?"  
"We don't. We never have. We feel the same pain as you do. The kind that never goes away. But we don't go murdering people."  
"You're the son. Malcolm. It looks like your mother followed my instructions perfectly."  
Malcolm lurched forwards and slammed Wheaton against the wall.  
"Where's Cathy?" He growled.  
"Malcolm." I said his name calmly.  
"All right. Bright, easy." Gil added.  
"Where's the nurse?"  
"I always knew your mother had it in her."  
"Where is Cathy?"  
"Why should I tell you? She helped that monster."  
"You're the monster! How do you explain Noah? He had nothing to do with your wife's death. You'll tell yourself anything to help justify what you've done. Cathy Paul? She's not a murderer, she's not an accessory. She's just an innocent person. Where does it stop?" Malcolm pushed off of him and into me.  
"42 Briggs. Apartment 12." He told us as I wrapped my arms around my love.  
"16 Squad Central. Need a hostage recover, 42 Briggs, Apartment 12." JT called over the radio.  
"I did you a favor tonight, Malcolm. You're free of him. Your father's dead." Wheaton called after us as I lead Malcolm back into the viewing room.  
"I need you to come down to the hospital, Ains. It's Dad. See you soon. Bye." Malcolm told her over the phone before leaning into me again.  
"Kid, what happened at Claremont? Jessica stabbed him? You were there?" Gil asked walking up to us.  
"Gil..." I tried to talk to him.  
"Where is she? Is she all right?" Malcolm asked barely looking up.  
"JT and Dani are talking to her down at the precinct. And I'm talking to you now. What happened?" He asked again.  
"It was the only way." I answered as Malcolm laid his head on my shoulder again.


	19. Death's Door

Malcolm and I stood together with his arms around my waist; my back pressed against his chest watching his father lie in the hospital bed.  
"He's in a coma?" Dani asked walking up to us in the hallway.  
"Secondary to anoxic injury, which means there was a sudden cessation of oxygen to the brain." Malcolm rattled mechanically.  
"So, a coma."  
"Yeah." I answered offering her a smile.  
"What are those?" She motioned to a file on the window sill in front of us.  
"Apparently my father listed me as his health care proxy. And gave me power of attorney. God knows why."  
"Sounds kind of important."  
"Well, I don't want it. And I don't want to talk about it." Malcolm snapped at her.  
I tightened my grip on his forearm slightly to bring him back to the present.  
"Sorry. What do you think he's dreaming about?" She changed the subject.  
"Coma patients can't actually have dreams. But they do have vivid hallucinations, which can feel like horrible nightmares." I answered.  
"So karma does exist."  
"What would a nightmare even look like for a man like him?" Malcolm muttered above me.  
I vaguely heard Dani's phone notification before she turned to us.  
"Edrisa says she has a case."  
I glanced up at Malcolm who was still staring at his father.  
"Okay. We're right behind you. Text me the address." I said softly with a small nod.  
She nodded back at me, looked up at Malcolm again and walked away from us.  
"Are they going to charge mom?" He asked me.  
"No." I answered simply.  
"How can you be so certain?"  
"Because I won't let it get that far. I gave the order. I'll make sure it works out."  
I turned to look at him laying my hands on his chest.  
"What if he doesn't wake up?"  
"The world's down one more serial killer and you might actually get a decent night sleep in the summer when it's too hot for skin to skin contact?" I shrugged.  
Malcolm fought the urge to laugh unsuccessfully.  
"I'm serious, Lil." He chuckled despite himself.  
"I know." I sighed.  
"I'm not a killer." He whispered pulling me closer to his chest.  
"I know that too. If he dies it's because of choices he made over twenty years ago. No. He didn't kill that man's wife on purpose but he did kill over twenty three innocent people. That lead to this. You looked to me before you went through with it. I gave the order. If he dies we share that burden as we share everything else." I pulled away from him just enough to look at him.  
"Come on. Let's go solve a murder." I reached up and touched his face.  
"It will be a nice distraction." He nodded before leaning down to kiss me.  
We drove out to the crime scene in relatively comfortable silence which was something we'd found elusive the last two days. Understandably so. It's not everyday a man stabs his serial killer father and his mother takes the blame.  
We pulled up outside a large modern house in the suburbs.  
"It's a nice place." Malcolm muttered as we walked up towards the front door.  
"We're going to need to start thinking about selling the lofts and buying a house."  
"Well, my mom owns the building my loft is in." He teased.  
"We're going to be married in roughly ten months and twenty days. We need to at least start looking for a house." I nudged him with my hip.  
"I know. I know." He conceded.  
"Sir. You can't sit in the middle of the... Damn." JT's voice said put of sight as Malcolm and I walked through the front door.  
We rounded the corner and found a man in his mid forties sitting on the couch, his right arm stretched out on the back of the couch and his left leg pulled up with his ankle resting on his right knee. The picture of ease.  
"Is that the body?" I asked moving to get a better look at his face.  
"I think so. He is dead, right? He looks like he was killed, like, five minutes ago." JT asked me.  
"Try three days ago! What did I tell you? It's a cool case, right?" Edrisa popped out of nowhere and exclaimed smiling at my fiancè.  
"Very cool. Thank you, Edrisa." He smiled back before looking at me.   
"Victim's name is Kevin Bagley. He was a wealthy investor to some local companies. Neighbors hadn't seen him for a week, so I'm guessing that means he's been preserved in some way?" Gil said as he entered the room.  
"Given his rosy skin tone and the lack of desiccation, I would say that he has been embalmed. Plus there's makeup on his face." Edrisa answered him.  
"So the killer used foundation to cover up the cause of death?" Dani asked.  
"Or to improve his appearance. Look closely. He didn't just cover the wound. He covered up his pimples, evened out his skin tone."  
"Yeah, it's like a celebrity makeup job."  
"Look at the way he's posed. With his arm draped on the couch, facing the fireplace. Like someone was sitting with him. This murder is about what happened after the kill. This required time, care, affection. And a lot of close, physical contact with a corpse." Malcolm began his profile while I wandered around the scene.  
"Don't say it." Gil and JT said in unison causing me to chuckle quietly.  
"We may be looking for a necrophiliac. "Necrophilia doesn't have to be sexual. There are actually ten types as per the last classification, and at its core, the impulse is understandable."  
"Uh, Bright, how worried should we be about you? You know, more than the usual amount?" JT asked.  
"Bear with me. A necrophiliac's desire to get close to a dead body can come from a fear of rejection, coupled with a deep and very human need for connection. Wouldn't we all like that? Someone who's always there, sitting on the couch with us? Without the weirdness." Malcolm smiled at me.  
"And the homicide." JT pointed out glancing worriedly at me.  
"That goes without saying."  
"Just checking."  
I shook my head as I continued to wander the room. Everything was in it's place, meticulously so. There was no blood anywhere; no signs of a cleanup. Obviously, a secondary scene; not that it mattered; this was clearly the important scene to the killer.  
"What are you thinking about?" Gil asked walking up to me.  
"Honestly, nothing. I was basically back at the FBI academy walking through the scene." I sighed and shook my head glancing at Malcolm.  
"How is he?" He asked.  
"He's Malcolm. He'll manage but he's struggling." I answered as honestly as I could manage.  
"What happened in that cell?"  
"It isn't as cut and dry as you think it is." I shook my head with a small smile and walked away.  
Malcolm glanced down at his phone as Gil followed us into Edrisa's morgue underneath the police station awhile later.  
"Could be about your dad." Gil told him as he ignored the call from Ainsley.  
"I'll call back later. Edrisa, what's the latest on Kevin?" Malcolm answered walking up to Kevin's cadaver.  
Gil looked at me.  
He was avoiding the problem and throwing himself into his work. It wasn't healthy but it was the way Malcolm operated.  
"Well, it's official: he was embalmed, and not in a DIY, learn it on YouTube kind of way. This is professional." Edrisa told us.  
"How do you know?" I asked.  
"These two incisions in his common carotid artery it's where someone placed arterial tubes and connected it to a real embalming machine. And the firmer the skin, the better the job. Come here, feel how firm he is." She answered motioning us forward.  
"I'm good." Gil shook his head as Malcolm stepped forward happily putting on a glove.  
"It's your loss. I mean, Kevin here is a real work of art. John Hunter would be proud. He was an early pioneer of embalming." Edrisa continued.  
"Uh, forget Hunter, what about Hofmann? He discovered formaldehyde." Malcolm argued happily.  
"Okay, I admit I was a von Hofmann girl for a while I mean, who isn't in college but credit really goes to the ancient Egyptians, if we're going to get technical about the origins of mortuary sciences."  
"We're not. Any signs of sexual assault?" Gil interrupted touching Malcolm's shoulder.  
"None. The killer did everything by the book. Washed the body, massaged it to relieve rigor mortis." Edrisa answered looking dejectedly at me.  
"Definitely sounds like you're looking for a professionally-trained funeral director." I offered her a small smile.  
"That's good news. There's only so many in the city. We can run them all down, see if they knew our vic." Gil added.  
"Uh, not exactly. This week happens to be the annual convention for the Atlantic Coast Funeral Directors. Which means our suspect pool just swelled to three thousand, give or take. I mean, I was a member of the ACFD myself till the dues got excessive." Edrisa cut in.  
"This isn't a coincidence. The killer is using the convention as cover. They could employ this very specialized method And frame three thousand people." I sighed.  
"What now?"  
"Time to dust off that membership. We're going to a convention." Malcolm looked at me.  
I nodded as his phone vibrated again.  
Hospital 911 Ainsley's text read.  
"Go see what's going on. I'll meet you at the convention, okay? Call me if it's really bad." I reached up and kissed him before he ran off.  
Neither Malcolm nor I had been back to either of our lofts in the two full days since he'd stabbed Martin. I stopped to feed Sunshine before returning to my own home to shower and change. It wasn't worth arguing with him about the importance of rest and a shower, at least not yet. I wore a casual light blue button up shirt with black slacks and my comfortable black flats before driving out to the convention center.  
"Wow, who knew that death was such big business, huh? Hey. You're acting weirder than usual, which is..." Dani's voice said before I rounded the corner into the main showroom.  
"Saying something. Yeah, I've heard that before." Malcolm cut her off.  
"Actually, I was going to say understandable, considering that your dad is in the hospital right now. And your mom is the one who stabbed him. That's heavy stuff. Your dad could die, right?" I could see what she was doing.  
She was trying to allow him someone other than me to talk to. I also knew he'd shut her down. Trust wasn't easy for him.  
"Yes. My serial-killer father could die." He snapped.  
"Right." She sighed looking away from him.  
"You're mad at me."  
"A little bit, yeah. Do you think that I like talking about this any more than you do? I buried my dad when I was 16 and they put him in that wood model right over there. And, no, I didn't want to tell you that, but I did. Because that's what friends do. And you wanted to be friends. Remember?" She shot at him.  
"Dani..." He sighed as she turned away from him.  
"I think that we should split up." She called over her shoulder.  
"Babe... That's why you don't have any friends..." I told him gently walking up to him.  
"I know."  
"I'll go talk to her. Stay out of trouble."  
I walked off in the direction Dani did.  
"Dani!" I called her name when I caught sight of her.  
"How do you deal with him?" She sighed looking at me.  
"Well, it's not always easy. I've had over twenty years to learn how Malcolm's mind operates especially under stress. He shuts down until I force him to open up. That's not easy either. I have to find the exact right moment or he'll snap and we'll argue..." I shook my head.  
"Malcolm's C-PTSD is... well, complex. He wants relationships that are meaningful but when you go through the things that he went through at the hands of his father makes it so difficult to believe that anyone is genuine. Before he found that girl and the camping trip then the 911 call, everything was normal for him. Martin Whitly was a loving, attentive father to both of his children and until recently Malcolm believed that in an instant everything changed. We still don't know how much time he lost from the chloroform episodes. I know it doesn't seem like it but he really is trying." I explained the best I could.  
"I know he is. It's just frustrating." She glanced around the room.  
"Oh, I know. Try getting him to focus on photographer, florist, and videographer portfolios for more than twenty minutes." I chuckled.  
"Hopefully, cake tastings will hold his attention better."  
"I cannot imagine planning a wedding with him. Is it going to be murder themed?" She asked with a grin.  
I laughed so hard I nearly doubled over.  
"If he had his way it probably would be. We need to coordinate with Jessica and Ainsley to plan wedding dress shopping."  
"Did Mrs. Whitly really stab The Surgeon?" She asked me.  
"What happened needed to happen to save the hostage; even Martin knows that. We didn't have time to find her in a conventional way. That's all I can say right now." I told her vaguely.  
I caught sight of my future husband across the room talking to a tall overly flirtatious blonde.  
"There's the man of the hour." I motioned over to him.  
"Hey." I said walking up and taking his hand which shook for a moment in mine.  
"Wait a second, who are you?" She asked.  
"I'm his fiancèe." I almost growled protectively.  
"Uh, Tilda, this is Chief Dr. Lilian Russell and Detective Dani Powell, and I'm Malcolm Bright. We're here to investigate the death of Kevin Bagley." He said clearly more at ease.  
"Kevin died? I can't believe it. That's horrible." She said almost monotonically.  
"You don't seem all that upset." Dani said beside me.  
"Ah. Hazard of the profession. They teach us in mortuary school to never cry in front of a family." Tilda answered glancing down at Malcolm's hand in mine.  
"And what was the nature of your relationship with Kevin? Business or..." I asked drawing her attention back to my face.  
"Sexual. Not serious. Kevin was too damaged. Some women are into that. Want to change and save their man. Not me. No, thank you." She glanced between us.  
"Tilda, Kevin was embalmed by the killer." Dani told her as I watched her face.  
"You're surprised. It means something to you." Malcolm said.  
"You should talk to our other partner, Dev. He lost the most when we all broke up. He and Kevin were best friends. I'm sorry, I have a customer." She said absently before walking away from us.  
The team regrouped in the entrance way to share knowledge. As I listened to Gil and JT filling us in on their conversations with Dev I couldn't quite shake the feeling that we were missing something. Something vital.  
"The makeup used on Kevin matches Dev's specialty brand." Edrisa said suddenly drawing my attention.  
"Go on. I want to touch base with Ashlyn. I feel like we're missing something."  
"Like what?" Gil asked.  
"I'm not sure. Just feels like this isn't the whole picture." I answered as best I could.  
"Be careful." I sighed as Malcolm leaned over to kiss me.  
"Of course. You too."  
I watched him walk away before pulling out my phone.  
"Hey Ash. I need everything you have on a mortuary company owned by Kevin Bagley, Tilda Carp and Dev Sundaram." I said as kindly as I could after brief pleasantries.  
"It was called Crescent Hills Mortuaries. They had a string of Long Island funeral homes until a fire broke out in their largest funeral home incinerating all of the bodies housed before their funerals. It looks like they may have had a silent partner of some sort. It'll take me a minute to sort through the files. Let me call you back." She told me.  
"Hey. Someone poisoned Dev. Ethylene Glycol." Malcolm told me as they wheeled Dev out of the hotel.  
"I leave you people alone for ten minutes." I shook my head.  
"Gil thinks it was Tilda."  
"I don't think so. Ash found evidence of a silent partner. Tilda owns her own a funeral home in Boston. Dev has his own line of funeral cosmetics. Doesn't sound right. This killer is trying to return to the past. Why would either of them want to go back when they're better off now?" I asked looking up at him.  
"I've rubbed off on you." He smirked at me.  
"Our professions aren't really all that different."  
"Do you want to sit in on the interview with Gil?"  
"No, love. I'll watch from the viewing room." I smiled at him.  
"You can sit there as long as you'd like. We know you killed Kevin." Gil started as he and Malcolm leaned on opposite walls in the interrogation room.  
"Actually I don't think she did." Malcolm countered glancing towards me behind the glass.  
"You don't?" Tilda asked.  
"Yeah, you don't?" Gil followed.  
"Tilda, you run a funeral home in Boston, right? I saw your luggage in evidence. Thousand-dollar roller bag, first-class tickets. Kevin's killer wants to go back in time and preserve the past, freeze their relationship like it once was. But your life is better now than it was a year ago. So there must be someone else who isn't." Malcolm pushed.  
"Question is why would Tilda protect them?" Gil asked him.  
"Because you did something wrong. And you're terrified of losing your license. 'Cause your job means a lot to you. I saw that."  
"My work is my life." Tilda answered.  
"I understand how you feel. You'd do anything to protect your career. Lie to the police, risk your life. But it's not worth your life."  
"No, it's not. Her name is Leanne Truitt. She was a silent partner in our business. Off the books."  
"You let her work unlicensed. Why?" Gil pushed her.  
"She failed her psych eval. But she was so damn good at embalming. She made the bodies look alive. Turns out, for her, that required more time with the corpses than we were comfortable with."  
"And there's your necrophilia. The fire. That was her, wasn't it?"  
"One night, we left her to lock up. She lost track of time. Her chemicals caused a reaction. She got out okay. And everything went to hell after that. Leanne felt responsible. She was inconsolable. She couldn't forgive herself for ruining everything. She called us for months, but we had all moved on."  
"You had. Leanne hadn't."  
Ashlyn called me back as the team and I stood outside the interrogation room.  
"I'm forwarding you the most recent DMV photo for the silent partner; a woman by the name of Leanne Truitt. It's roughly six years old, wasn't renewed and I ran the address but she moved shortly after the fire and left no forwarding address."  
"I'll put out a BOLO." Gil told us stalking off to his office.  
"Check the employee records for the convention hotel. I bet she got a job there. To get close to her former team and access Dev's suite." Malcolm looked at Dani who walked off before he pulled out his cell.  
"Who you calling?" I asked.  
"Speaking of relationships to preserve, I owe someone an apology. Edrisa, listen, I need to tell you I'm sorry." Malcolm said as she answered her phone.  
"But what I said at the hotel, I didn't mean to imply that you don't help people. That's crazy." He continued later.  
"Edrisa." He said suddenly looking up at me.  
"Edrisa sounded weird. She didn't want to talk to me just now. Plus, her voice sounded shakier than normal." He told me.  
"She didn't want to talk to you?"  
"Right? I'm gonna go check on her."  
"Call me with an update" I insisted when he kissed me.  
"Of course."  
I shook my head as he walked to the elevators.  
"How's he doing?" Gil asked as I walked into the office.  
"You know how he is. We'll get through it." I told him.  
"Hold on." I sighed as my phone rang cutting off whatever he was about to say.  
"Hey babe."  
"I was right, Edrisa's in trouble. Leanne's here and she's armed. She must be after Kevin's body."  
"We're on our way." I told him looking up at Gil.  
"Please, just wait for backup."  
"Right. Absolutely." He answered absently hanging up the phone.  
"He's not going to wait, is he?" Gil asked.  
"Oh, come on. You know he's not. He called. Gotta give him credit for that. Get Dani and JT and meet me at the elevators." I instructed gently.  
He nodded and within minutes we took the back elevators down into the morgue.  
JT kicked in the door to find that Malcolm was holding Leanne's firearm aimed at her where she stood shakily and Edrisa was holding a metal pan.  
"Is everyone okay?" I asked as Dani cuffed Leanne so JT could lead her out.  
"Yeah. I handled it." Edrisa said as Malcolm smiled at her.  
"I see you." JT nodded at her.  
"I need your help." Malcolm looked at me after everyone left the room.  
"Are you okay?" I asked laying my hand on his chest.  
"I'm fine. There's just something I need to do and I need you by my side."  
I nodded.  
"Of course. Always."  
Malcolm and I drove in silence back to the hospital where Martin was in his coma. He paused outside the room for a long moment staring at his father's nearly lifeless body before taking my hand.  
"Ready?" I asked.  
He nodded and opened the door walking into the hospital room.  
"Hello, Dr. Whitly." Malcolm said as we stood next to his bedside.  
I watched Martin's features twist and move until his eyes slowly fluttered open.  
"My boy." He said weakly.  
Malcolm squeezed my hand asking for strength and reached forward to press the call button.


	20. The Job

It bothered me immensely that I couldn't accompany Malcolm and Jessica to confront Martin. The detectives investigating Martin's stabbing were growing increasingly impatient with his lack of cooperation in the month since he'd come out of his coma.  
"Ah. Chief Dr. Lillian Russell." John Watkins smirked at me from where he sat shackled to the interrogation table when I walked into the room.  
"Why did you call me here, John?" I asked taking my place across the table from him.  
Early on in my career I'd made the conscious decision to refer to my suspects by their first names. The people I hunted and dealt with often believed themselves to be better than anyone else. Deserving of respect or admiration and by referring to them casually I let them know they had no power. When they were in the interrogation room the power rested with me.  
"A little birdie told me congratulations are in order." He chuckled looking down at my hand where my engagement ring sat.  
"Neither of us need nor want your well wishes." I growled slightly confused.  
He'd already commented on the engagement. I decided it best to just ignore the comment and take it for what it was; a game. One I wasn't particularly interested in playing.  
"Yet you came?"  
"I came because you asked for me by name. It is my job to insure that every single one of your victims is discovered and laid to rest and that you pay for what you've done. If you don't have anything of value to offer me, we're done here." I answered standing up.  
"Wait! You know it's lonely in solitary confinement." He raised his eyebrows at me.  
"Well, you may be lonely but you're alive. I could have you put in gen-pop and see how you fair? I'm sure Dr. Whitly has a fair amount of... acquaintances here who owe him a favor or two." I shrugged watching his face fall at the mention of Martin.  
"Solitary it is then." I continued when he didn't answer.  
"Goodbye, John."  
I walked out frustrated that he called just to bullshit and it kept me away from Malcolm.  
"I want the names of everyone who have been in contact with him even for half a second." I hissed at the guard.  
"I'll have to talk to the warden." He stuttered.  
"Tell him I'm the one that asked for it." I shot back at him as I slammed the front door open.  
"He's blackmailing us." Malcolm told me when he and his mother walked into my office shortly after I'd returned from Blackwater Prison where they were holding John Watkins until his trial in the summer.  
"And this surprises you?" I sighed looking up at him.  
"No." He sat down in front of me.  
"It just pisses me off."  
"I can make an official statement that I made an executive decision to allow Jessica to stab him in a controlled manner in order to save the hostage. It'd be his word against mine."  
Malcolm shook his head.  
"I don't want you involved in this anymore than necessary."  
"Malcolm... I'm going to be your wife. I am involved in this." I sighed.  
I knew he was trying to be protective but as the chief of the FBI's New York field office I didn't need to be protected.  
"What does he want?"  
"He wants me to visit twice every ten days and he wants an invitation to our wedding."  
"Is that how he worded it? An invitation to the wedding?"  
Malcolm and Jessica both nodded.  
"He can have an invitation." I answered almost dismissively.  
"Lily..."  
"Just because I send an invitation doesn't mean that he'll get day probation to be able to attend. I have a lot more pull in the probation board than he might think."  
"That's mildly diabolical." Jessica smiled at me.  
"Wording is important especially when blackmailing your ex-wife, son, and future daughter in law. One of whom is a high profile FBI chief and forensic psychiatrist with an array of connections." I shrugged.  
"Did he give stipulations for his visits?"  
"No?" Malcolm looked at me questioningly.  
"Then, if he wants an invitation to our wedding I'll be accompanying Malcolm to his visits." I continued.  
"I knew I liked you." Jessica smiled again.  
Malcolm's phone rang drawing my attention.  
"It's Gil." He looked at me again.  
"Go. I'll be there as soon as I'm finished with this." I motioned to the report I was nearly finished with.  
He nodded and nearly skipped out of the office.  
"Why do these cases bring him so much joy?" Jessica asked after he left.  
"I'm not sure it's the cases; it's the work. He feels useful, like he has a purpose." I sighed returning to my report.  
"Have you spoken to Eve?" She asked.  
"Not recently. Honestly, probably not since the engagement. Why?"  
"I called her before Martin woke up and asked her to head my legal team."  
"I told you, you wouldn't need a legal team." I sighed finally electronically signing the report.  
"Who are your bridesmaids?"  
"Dani, Ainsley, and Tally. Jess, what are you getting at?"  
"Nothing. My mind's just racing and I can't get it to slow down."  
"It's called anxiety. Go home. Relax. I'll handle Martin later." I told her gently.  
"Yes. Okay." She nodded.  
"Has Malcolm figured out his groomsmen?" She asked as I ushered her out of my office.  
"I think he wants to ask JT but I don't think he has yet."  
"It's not that far away."  
"The wedding? The wedding is at the end of December. It's March. We've got time." I assured her.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Of course I'm sure. Jess. Let Adolpho drive you home. Have a glass of bourbon and relax."  
I finally got her into the SUV and was able to make it out to the crime scene.  
"Sorry I'm late." I sighed walking up next to Gil.  
"Right on time. What's wrong?" He asked examining my expression.  
"I'm not sure who's more anxious for this wedding, me or Jessica." I sighed and he chuckled.  
"Do you know who that is?" Dani asked pointing towards where Malcolm stood talking to a middle eastern man with dark hair.  
"Looks like Vijay Chandasara. We all went to high school together." I answered with a shrug.  
"They look friendly." Gil mentioned.  
"They were. Vijay was practically the only friend Malcolm had in high school outside of myself. Vijay's father was arrested for cocaine smuggling and they bonded over having father's in prison. Then Vijay's father was released and Malcolm had trouble connecting with the people Vijay was hanging out with and eventually he stopped including Malcolm in his plans."  
"And what did you think of him?" Dani asked.  
"Indifferent." I shrugged.  
"He's cocky almost flamboyantly so. Not really a trait I value in my company."  
"So what do you think about this gang coming in here and stealing a bunch of high end watches but leaving a tennis bracelet worth over Ten K on their victim?" Gil asked.  
"That's really a Malcolm question but my best guess given the isolation of the body is that the murder itself was the killer's main objective whereas the robbery was the group's main objective."  
"So the killer is a rogue member of this group?" JT asked.  
"Basically." Malcolm said walking back over to the group.  
"It's obvious that this isn't their first robbery. We need to find out when the murders started and what triggered them."  
"I'll check with Ashlyn to scan the national database for similar crimes with and without the murder. Maybe it'll give us a timeline." I told them.  
"We'll meet you at the station." Gil nodded at me.  
I kissed my fiancé before walking back out to my vehicle.  
"Hey Ash. I need you to run some parameters through our national database."  
"Why didn't you ask me to be a bridesmaid?" She asked catching me off guard.  
"I honestly didn't think you'd want to. You live in DC, we're in New York. It seemed like a lot of long drives when you also have a full time job and a husband of your own." I answered.  
"Fair enough. I just wish you'd asked." She sighed.  
"So you could turn me down?"  
"Yes." She huffed causing me to chuckle.  
"Give me the parameters."  
I listed all we knew about the robberies first before mentioning the victim we'd also discovered.  
"I'll email you the list before you make it back to the station, and by the way, I'm not mad at you for not asking." She told me.  
"I know you aren't. Thank you for all your help, Ash."  
I sighed as my phone rang again.  
"Eve? Jessica and I were just talking about you this morning." I answered.  
"Are you free for lunch? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." She asked a smile in her voice.  
"Uh... Yeah. I can probably get away. Major Crimes just landed a case but they don't need me right now." I answered.  
"Wonderful. Meet at Sweet Bistro in, say, an hour?"  
"Perfect. I'll see you then."  
I stopped at the station on my way to lunch to print out the list of similar crimes that was sitting in my inbox.  
"The corner table boys. The rejects. The bad seeds." Vijay was telling Malcolm excitedly as I walked into the conference room.  
"Please stop." Malcolm shook his head catching sight of me.  
"Hey." He breathed kissing my temple and leading me out of the room and away from him.  
"Lilian? Lilian Russell?" Vijay called after us.  
"Ashlyn found these similar robberies in various states in the last few years but only two other deaths. One in Chicago and another in St. Louis. Now there here in New York." I handed my fiancé the file with the details of the other robberies and murders.  
"You're not staying?" Malcolm looked at me sadly.  
"I'm meeting Eve for lunch. I'll meet up with you after but I wanted to make sure I got you what Ash found."  
He pouted as I kissed him.  
"I love you." I told him.  
"I love you too." He grumbled looking down at the file.  
I walked into Sweet Bistro roughly fifteen minutes before I was supposed to meet with Eve and found her already sitting at a table beaming in a wine red pantsuit.  
"You certainly are eager today." I chuckled when she stood up to hug me.  
"I just missed you. I thought we really connected."  
"We did. This work is just insane sometimes. I haven't even gone dress shopping yet." I laughed sitting down with her.  
"Wedding dress shopping? Gosh, Lily! You gotta get it bought so you can make sure it's fitted just right before the big day."  
"Oh, I know. I just haven't had time." I sighed.  
"Make time, Lily. This is your wedding. I've seen the way you two look at each other; you're only going to have one." She smiled at me.  
"You're right." I smiled shaking my head.  
"You should have an engagement party!" She exclaimed suddenly after our food arrived.  
"Eve... I haven't found time to dress shop. I certainly don't have time to plan an engagement party." I chuckled and shook my head.  
"Let me do it. It doesn't have to be huge or extravagant. Just you and Malcolm, the wedding party, Jessica, Gil, Edrisa, me? Come on, Lily. Please?"  
"Alright. Alright" I caved.  
Eve beamed with happiness while we continued our meal.  
"Can I ask you something serious?" She asked me anxiously.  
"Of course." I looked back up at her.  
"What do you know about Jessica's 'Girl in the Box'?" She asked me.  
"As much as they do." I answered vaguely.  
"Malcolm hasn't kept anything from you?" She pushed.  
"Malcolm and I don't have secrets." I answered almost harshly.  
"Everything that we know is also in the police reports from after his abduction."  
"I've read them." She sighed.  
"Do you believe that the search for this victim is the reason Jessica stabbed Dr. Whitly?" She asked.  
"It's clear that her television appearance calling for information opened the tip line that the killer called into but his primary motive was revenge against Martin Whitly, who was unable to save his wife in surgery. We have no reason to believe that Martin killed that patient deliberately." I answered.  
"When did you start calling him Martin?"  
"After Malcolm's abduction. Martin Whitly doesn't scare or intimidate me. My use of his first name shows him that."  
"What happened in that cell?"  
"Exactly what had to happen to save the hostage."  
"You're being vague with me again." She pointed out.  
"I thought this was a social call. I'm still the Chief of the FBI's New York office. I know how to handle lawyer interviews." I answered with a smirk.  
"It was meant to be. A social call. I don't know how to turn it off sometimes." She looked at me apologetically.  
"Why are you asking about the Girl in the Box?"  
"I've followed Jessica's search for her identity since before Malcolm's abduction. I want to help." She told me.  
"Then you need to talk to Jessica. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to devote to purely looking for this victim." I answered.  
"Well, of course. You and Malcolm do investigate it though?"  
"We look back at it when we have the time." I nodded.  
"Speaking of..." I muttered as my phone rang.  
Malcolm <3  
"It's on me. Go on." She nodded happily.  
"Hey babe." I answered my phone after hugging her goodbye.  
"What do you remember about Vijay?" He asked.  
"I remember you valued his friendship."  
"You didn't like him?" He pushed.  
I sighed.  
"No. I didn't. Especially not after his father got out and he gave up on you."  
"I was just with my dad. Do you think I have trust issues?" He asked.  
"Yes. I do. I think that's normal considering everything that happened when you were a kid."  
"Do you think that's why I had no friends?"  
"It certainly didn't help. Can we talk about this at home?" I asked.  
"Yeah. I was just thinking. More than anything I just wanted to hear your voice." He sighed.  
"I love you, Malcolm."  
"God, I love you."  
"I'm getting ready to head back to the station. I'll see you soon."  
"Gil called and said there was another robbery." He told me.  
"Murder?" I asked.  
"So far only attempted."  
"The victim is alive?" I asked.  
"Yeah. With a bullet directly between the eyes. They're doing a craniotomy now."  
"Wow. Lucky woman."  
"She is. I'm almost to the hospital. Hopefully she'll make it and we can talk to her."  
"Keep me updated. I'll see you soon."  
"I love you." He said again.  
"I love you too." I hung up and climbed into my car.  
I met Gil back at the station later that afternoon just before Malcolm and Vijay brought us a picture of a Phoenix tattoo and the file on a man named Cooper Wu and his gang from Seattle.  
"They were heavily suspected in the murders in St. Louis and Chicago that Ash found." Malcolm told me as I sat on Gil's desk.  
"I'll put out a BOLO. Good job. Both of you." Gil said.  
Vijay's phone dings and he walks out after winking at Malcolm and glancing at me.  
"Can we trust him?" Gil asked Malcolm.  
Malcolm glanced at me.  
"I'm not sure." He answered honestly.  
"I'll put a tail on him." Gil handed Malcolm back the file.  
"I'll have Ash put a tracker on his phone too."  
Malcolm nodded solemnly and walked out after Vijay.  
"What are you thinking?" Gil asked me after a long moment.  
"He'll make a deal with Cooper. Without a doubt." I answered.  
"You don't trust him?"  
"No. I don't. Honestly, I never have. Since we were kids."  
"Lily." Malcolm said my name suddenly standing in the doorway.  
I turned to look at him. His face was despondent.  
"Can we go home?"  
"Of course. Let's go."  
I glanced back at Gil's worried face as we walked out of his office.  
"What happened?" I asked him when we got back to my loft.  
"He said he tried to include me when we were in school. Inviting me to parties and introducing me to people but that I was intense, always silently judging people. It turned people off." Malcolm sighed.  
"You already knew that. That's not what's really bothering you."  
"What did I do to deserve you?" He asked wrapping his arms around my waist.  
"No idea. Talk to me, my love."  
"Why is it so hard for me to trust people?" He asked me.  
"Baby. You have Complex PTSD. Trust issues is one of the main symptoms of the disorder."  
"My father asked me how many of my issues I can blame on him." He muttered.  
"Most of them, honestly. He doesn't get to decide how badly he hurt you. He doesn't get to decide how deeply you're effected by the things he did to you." I ran my hands over his biceps.  
"You're right." He sighed.  
"Of course I am. I'm a genius." I smiled up at him.  
"Yes. You are." He leaned down and kissed me.  
I gripped ahold of his arms as he pulled me closer to him.  
Then his phone rang.  
"I'm telling you I'm going to smash that damn thing." I sighed as he pulled the phone out of his pocket.  
"It's Gil." He told me.  
"Gil?"  
"I think I know where he'd meet them. I'll drop you a pin and we'll meet you there."  
He hung up the phone.  
"Vijay slipped his tail. Can you call Ashlyn to make sure I'm right about where he's going?" He asked.  
"Of course. Let's go and we'll redirect if we need to."  
Less than fifteen minutes later we pulled up near the underpass where Vijay's phone was pinging.  
"You need to wait here for Gil." He told me.  
"Oh no. You're not going down there by yourself."  
"Lily. I'm going to be fine. It'll be harder to justify two extra people than just one." He reasoned.  
"If you get hurt..." I sighed.  
"I'm not going to get hurt. I promise you. I love you." He kissed me.  
"I love you too."  
Reluctantly I watched him sneak down towards Vijay's car.  
I followed just enough that I had a decent view of the entirety of the underpass but was still well hidden.  
Not five minutes after Malcolm sat in his car did a large commercial van pull into view.  
Four people climbed out of the van. Cooper Wu, two other men and a woman. I could just barely make out the silhouette of another man behind the wheel of the van.  
I couldn't hear what was being said and it killed me that all I could do was hope that Malcolm could keep himself alive.  
One of the background men put fabric bags over Vijay's and Malcolm's heads and ushered them into the van.  
"Ash. Put a tracker on Malcolm's phone." I said forgoing the pleasantries after the van pulled away.  
"Trouble in paradise?" She asked.  
"No. He's with a motorcycle gang that killed three women and almost killed another."  
"Do you want to explain that?" She said taken aback.  
"Not right now. Gil and Dani just pulled up. Can you send me the ping?"  
"Of course."  
I hung up and made my way over to Gil's car.  
"Where did they go?" He asked me.  
"Likely a warehouse nearby to examine the merchandise." I answered waiting for the ping.  
"Malcolm went with Vijay?" Dani asked.  
"Of course he did." I sighed.  
"The tracker on Malcolm's phone is roughly four minutes away. Do we move in or do we wait here?" I asked reading the GPS map.  
"You're not going to like it but our best option is to wait here." Gil answered glancing sideways at me.  
"We don't know how they fortified the warehouse." I sighed sitting on the ground next to the car.  
"That's unsanitary." Dani remark looking over at me.  
"Probably. My fiancé is in a warehouse four minutes away from me with a homicidal motorcycle gang; the dirt on my ass is the least of my concerns right now." I smirked at her.  
We made uncomfortable small talk while waiting for the van to return.  
Finally it rolled back into the empty lot. We watched as the driver pulled a single man out of the back of the van along with two suitcases.  
He pulled the fabric bag off his head revealing Vijay Chandasara.  
"Where's Bright?" Dani asked as I stood up.  
We watched Vijay strike out at the driver knocking him in the back of the head with one of the suitcases.  
"What is Vijay doing?" She continued.  
"Follow him. I'm going to the warehouse." I called running back to my own vehicle.  
The four minute drive out to the warehouse seemed to take forever.  
I pulled into the parking lot in time to see Vijay's car race into the warehouse.  
I didn't notice Dani and Gil behind me as I raced into the warehouse behind the car.  
"Malcolm!" I called his name just before I saw him standing next to Vijay near the car.  
I raced forward and jumped into my fiancè's arms.  
"Hey." He muttered breathlessly.  
"Are you okay?" I asked pulling back to look at his face.  
"I hit my head. I should probably see a doctor." He kissed my forehead.  
"Bright! What happened?" Gil asked.  
"We happened!" Vijay exclaimed clapping Malcolm on the shoulder.  
"The corner table boys! The rejects! The bad seeds!"  
Malcolm half chuckled in my arms.  
"Am I going to be arrested?" Vijay asked suddenly.  
Malcolm's head snapped up to look at him then down at me.  
"No. You won't be arrested." I sighed.  
"Come on, love. Time to go to the emergency room... again."


	21. Stranger Beside You

"Why are we doing this again?" Malcolm asked while I finished getting ready.  
"Doing what? Celebrating our engagement?" I called back.  
"Malcolm, we've been engaged almost three months. It's one night." I sighed walking into the room.  
I wore a floor length ivory sheath dress with a V neck halter neckline.  
"That you let Eve plan?"  
"You're the one who wanted me to be nicer to her when we met her. Who told me I was being overly cautious?"  
"I did." He sighed.  
"Are you having second thoughts about her?" I asked sitting next to him on our bed.  
"I don't know. Maybe? I just feel like she's hiding something from us."  
"We're only just really getting to know her." I reminded him.  
"You felt it though? Back when we first met her? You felt that something was off?" He pushed.  
"I did. That's true." I conceded.  
"That didn't just go away, did it?"  
"Of course not. But she stayed with me after the... incident at the bar, remember? This is our engagement party. We'll be surrounded by our family and friends. We shouldn't worry about anything tonight." I assured him.  
"I don't think she's dangerous." He glared playfully at me.  
"That's not what I mean. Come on. Let's have a good time and celebrate us." I pushed.  
"Okay." He nodded before leaning over to kiss me.  
The limousine pulled up to take us to Club Aurora roughly a half hour before our party was supposed to start.  
I had expected Eve to have reserved a private room but the club was empty save for two bartenders, a waiter and waitress and Eve, who was dressed in a golden yellow floor length dress with three quarter sleeves and a sweetheart neckline.  
"Hey." I said softly as we approached her.  
"Hey!" She exclaimed happily turning to hug Malcolm and I in turn.  
"I wasn't expecting you to rent out the whole club." I chuckled.  
"The owner owed me a favor and I couldn't think of a better time to call it in." She shrugged still smiling.  
"It's wonderful." I smiled back.  
"I know we said lowkey and it will be. It'll be even more private now than it would have been."  
"I have the upmost faith in you." I assured her as Malcolm looked around the club.  
Club Aurora was actually a fairly small club. Intimate, even. Eve had it decorated with silver and white flowers, glitter and lights with sheer fabric draping from the ceiling.  
"This is actually perfect." Malcolm muttered after Eve left us to finalize something needed for the evening.  
"And you were worried." I chastised playfully shaking my head.  
Jessica and Ainsley arrived next. Jessica wore a purple floor length high low dress with a conservative V neck while Ainsley wore an emerald green floor length dress with a plunging back and sheer short sleeves. Followed shortly by Gil and Vijay, who Malcolm finally asked to be a groomsmen along with JT as his best man. He was still short one but it could wait and if it came down to it two would be enough.  
Dani and Edrisa arrived a short time later. Dani in a stunning red floor length mermaid dress a scoop neckline and sleeveless bodice and Edrisa in a pink sleeveless knee length aline dress with a sweetheart neckline.  
JT and Tally arrived five minutes to eight making them the last to arrive. Tally wore a navy blue floor length dress with thin straps and a V neckline with a wide back cutout.  
We were all served a Caramel Apple Martini before the party began at exactly eight pm with a toast from our host.  
"Tonight we celebrate Lily and Malcolm's engagement. May their love and light shine bright for all the years of their lives." Eve and our family toasted us before the music started.  
The first song to play was From the Ground Up by Dan + Shay.  
Malcolm and I danced together, mingled with our friends and family, laughed and drank for the entirety of the first hour.  
"There aren't words to describe how much we needed this. Thank you, Eve." Malcolm told her just before we called everyone together for cake.  
"It's my pleasure, honestly. You all have been so kind to me. I'm glad I could help." She beamed at us.  
The eight inch round cake was just enough for the ten of us in attendance. It was a delicate chiffon cake filled with raspberry white chocolate chantilly cream and enrobed in silver dusted white chocolate buttercream.  
The silver topper spelled out 'It Was Always You' in cursive script.  
I noticed Tally sitting with JT off to one side not looking very well.  
I left Malcolm's side as he discussed some obscure mortuary topic with Edrisa and wandered over to check on her.  
"Is everything okay?" I asked sitting down next to her.  
"I'm just not feeling very well." She shook her head and leaned back against the chair.  
"JT, take her home." I insisted raising my hand when she tried to interrupt me.  
"I'm the bride and that's my order." I pushed.  
She smiled at me and nodded.  
"I'll let Malcolm know you went home. Feel better."  
I stood up and noticed her untouched Martini on the table before leading them out.  
I found Malcolm in the same place as when I left him but Edrisa had wandered off.  
"Come dance with me." I smiled and took his hand when Heartbeat by Carrie Underwood started.  
"With pleasure." He smiled back and spun me out onto the dance floor.  
After our dance I told him about Tally.  
"Do you think she's okay?" He asked worriedly.  
"I'm sure it's nothing serious. It's just best if they take care of one another right now." I smiled slightly at him.  
He nodded wrapping his arms around me as we lounged by the bar awaiting our ordered beverages.  
"Cranberry Champagne for the bride and S'mores Kahlua for the groom." Our bartender Amanda said smiling as she sat down the drinks.  
"Thank you." I smiled back.  
"Try this, love." He said after taking a sip of his drink.  
I wasn't much for cloyingly sweet drinks but the bitterness from the burnt marshmallows and coffee rounded out the sweetness beautifully.  
"That's wonderful. You can't have it back now." I teased.  
"Hey!" He exclaimed reaching for the drink.  
I laughed as he wrapped his arms around me so we could share the drinks.  
Just before eleven o'clock Malcolm and I saw our guests off in their perspective taxis or SUVs before climbing into our limousine.  
"I don't think that could have gone better." Malcolm smiled pulling me into his arms as we rode home.  
"Even mom looked like she was having a good time."  
"It isn't often we throw a party that she throughly enjoys." I agreed.  
We thanked our driver when we got back to the loft and walked together up to the front door.  
He kissed on my neck pressing my back into the front door closing it behind us. I giggled when he lifted me up into his arms effortlessly, carrying me up into the bedroom. He set me on my feet running his fingertips over my shoulders and down my arms before pulling my zipper down and planting gentle kisses along my skin as he removed my dress and laying me on the bed.  
"We'll be there as soon as we can." Malcolm's voice cut through my peaceful dream the next morning.  
"What do they have?" I muttered rolling onto my back.  
"Murder of a new father. Found by his mommy blogger wife and their au pair."  
"Wonderful. I'm up." I sighed.  
"Where's Gil and Edrisa?" I asked Dani as we walked into the house.  
"In here with the stiff!" Edrisa's voice called from another room.  
"Really?" Gil looked at her as we walked into the large room.  
"What have we got?" I asked as Malcolm surveyed the room.  
"Victim is Ezra Cassavel. He and his wife Alessa hosted a 'Sip &See' for their new daughter, Nina last night." JT said walking up beside us as my phone rang.  
"Sorry. I have to take this." I muttered looking at my phone and walking out of the room.  
"Hello?" I answered.  
"Chief Lilian Russell?" A female voice on the other side of the phone asked.  
"Yes?"  
"I know you normally work out of the 75th precinct but we have a young boy, six or seven years old, that walked into the 19th precinct roughly a half hour ago and the only thing he'll say is your name. He won't let anyone near him."  
"Carson." I muttered with a sigh.  
"I'll be right there."  
I hung up the phone and looked over my shoulder to find Malcolm watching me from the doorway.  
"Who's Carson?" He asked visibly noting my facial expression.  
"I was working my first weekend after returning to New York. January twenty sixth last year when a not quite five year old boy wandered into the FBI field office. He was maybe twenty pounds and covered in dirt, clearly neglected. I did everything I knew to do. I took him to Gabriel's Children's Hospital and filed a report with New York's Department of Children and Family Services. I didn't hear anything for three months until April twenty fourth when he walked back into the office and asked for me by name. This time he had numerous bruises at various stages of healing. It took a lot of convincing for him to calm down enough to take him to back to the hospital. Filed another report with DCFS and that was all I could do. August twelfth he showed up again his arm was broken he had scars and more bruises. Again, hospital, and DCFS. In September I started working with you and Gil and this is the first time Carson's resurfaced since August. I was certain he'd died." I explained.  
"Was it that bad that you'd think that?" He asked me walking up to me.  
"With abuse it's not black and white like that. I have to go find out what I can do for him now that I'm an FBI chief."  
"I'm coming with you." He insisted.  
"No, Malcolm. You're needed here. I'll call you when I can." I told him before kissing him gently.  
Reluctantly, he nodded.  
I drove out to the 19th precinct worried about what I'd find. When I walked into the bullpen Carson looked up and met my eyes before bursting into tears.  
"Oh, sweetheart." I sighed rushing over to him.  
He tried to hug me but whimpered in pain. Gently I lifted him up into my arms. He couldn't have weighed more than thirty, thirty five pounds.  
"What happened?" I asked him but he shook his head and buried his face in my neck gripping his arm to his chest.  
"Can you tell me where it hurts?" I asked.  
He nodded so I sat him back down on the bench. With his right hand he motioned up to his left shoulder and down to his knees.  
"Can I see?"  
He nodded again. Carefully I pulled up his right pant leg and found nearly black bruises covering the knee and shin. The damage was identical on his left leg.  
It took everything I had to maintain my composure and not scare him.  
"I'm going to look at your shoulder now, okay?"  
Again he nodded. I watched his face as I reached up and gently palpated his arm finding it to be dislocated. He winced but didn't scream out as I'd expected him to.  
"Let's get you to a doctor, okay? I'll figure out a way to put an end to this." I assured him.  
He let me carry him out to the car and drive him back to Gabriel's Children's Hospital.  
My phone rang again as I waited outside Carson's room.  
"Ainsley?" I answered.  
"Lily! Where are you?" She exclaimed.  
"I'm at the children's hospital. What's wrong?" I asked.  
"Children's Hospital?" She countered.  
"I'm dealing with a case, kind of." I sighed looking through the window at the doctor treating Carson.  
"We need to talk about Eve." She told me.  
"Why?"  
"I need to meet with you." She insisted.  
"Ains... I don't know when I'm going to finish here." I sighed.  
"It's important, Lily. I can meet you." She pushed.  
"Let me talk to the doctor and I'll call you back."  
"Okay." She agreed and I hung up as the doctor walked out to me.  
"Chief Russell. We need to run extensive imaging tests to determine how seriously injured he is. I'm going to order a full body xray, MRI and a CAT scan then we'll know exactly what were dealing with." Dr. Hunter told me.  
"Okay. How is he?" I asked her.  
"As well as can be expected. I gave him a mild sedative. He'll sleep at least until we're ready for the tests. We're looking at about four or five hours, give or take."  
I nodded and called Ainsley back.  
"You can meet me here at the hospital but I need you swing by the FBI office and tell Kris Levin that I need a Minor Victim Protection From. Can you do that?" I asked.  
"Of course. I'll be right there."  
After we hung up I called Malcolm.  
"Hey Lily. Is everything okay?" He asked.  
"I'm not sure. I'm going to be here most of the day. They're taking images."  
"Do you have the MVPF?" He asked.  
"Not yet. Ainsley wanted to meet up. Says it's important. I asked her to pick up the form on her way here." I told him.  
"What's it about?"  
"She said we need to talk about Eve. When I know more we'll talk about it, okay?"  
"Yeah, of course. It's probably nothing." He mused clearly distracted.  
"I'm sure. Don't worry. How are you doing?" I asked.  
"I'm okay. Something's off about this whole thing but I'll figure it out." He chuckled humorlessly.  
"Of course you will. You're a genius."  
"I love you, Lily."  
"I love you too sweetheart. I'll call you later."  
Twenty minutes after I hung up, Ainsley walked into Carson's private room.  
"Hey." I said quietly standing up.  
"Let me fill out the MVPF then we can go down to the cafeteria to talk."  
She nodded her eyes on Carson and handed me the form.  
Once receiving the MVPF the hospital could not release any information about Carson to anyone but me and my team. They couldn't tell anyone that he was being treated there.  
Ainsley and I made our way down to the hospital cafeteria, I bought some food and an energy drink and we sat down at a relatively secluded table away from the bustle of the hospital itself.  
"What did you need to talk to me about?" I asked before diving into the sandwich I'd bought.  
"Is he okay?" She asked.  
"Who? Malcolm?"  
"No. The boy?" Her eyes finally met mine.  
"Oh, Carson. I'm not sure if I'm being honest. I met him over a year ago. As a general special agent I couldn't do something like this to protect him. I just have to wait for the imaging to come back."  
"What did you want to tell me about Eve?" I asked after a long pause.  
"Oh! Right. I noticed she was watching you and Malcolm pretty intently last night so I decided to do a little investigating this morning." She told me pulling out a file from her briefcase.  
"She threw the party. It's not incredibly odd that she was watching us." I sighed opening the file.  
"That's true but something didn't feel right. Look here." She pulled her chair over to me pointing to the picture in the file of a young woman with dark brown hair and greenish eyes.  
"Her name is Sophie Sanders. I was able to confirm that both Eve and Sophie were taken in by the same orphanage in South Carolina on the same day. Eve was adopted by the Blanchard's shortly thereafter but Sophie being ten years older than Eve was already sixteen and was never adopted. I followed Sophie's employment history after she turned eighteen. She worked in a diner in South Carolina from the start of March in 1993 until mid May 1994 when she moved to North Carolina where she worked in a bar until July 1995. She moved to Virginia and started in a new credit card company as a receptionist then was sent to Maryland in 1996 to start up banks for the company before moving to Pennsylvania in 1997 and finally New York in 1998. All of the sudden around the twentieth of November 1998 she disappeared and never resurfaced." She explained walking me through the file.  
It was unnecessary but she seemed so proud of what she'd found.  
"It's compelling. How did you get this picture?" I admitted shaking my head.  
"Eve was showing it too my mom when I went over there this morning. I'd already learned that she's actually from South not North Carolina. She got almost offended that I was looking into her. I'm sorry, Lily. If I'm right Eve must think we can help her find Sophie. Even if they're not related by blood spending time in an orphanage can create an even stronger bond. I just don't want you or Malcolm to get hurt by this woman." She looked down at her hands.  
"I know, Ains. I appreciate it. I'll talk to Malcolm tonight and we'll decide what to do." I smiled at her reaching out to touch her arm.  
"Chief Russell?" Dr. Hunter's voice said from the doorway.  
"Thank you for this, Ains. I'll call you later." I stood up and she hugged me.  
"Be careful, Lily." She whispered.  
I nodded and carried my trash in one hand and Ainsley's file in the other.  
"You know her well?" Dr. Hunter asked once I reached her.  
"She's going to be my sister in law." I nodded.  
"What did you find?"  
"The CAT scan was negative. No, blood clots or complex fractures. The MRI showed some healing soft tissue wounds around both shoulders, wrists, and knees. The Xray showed multiple healing rib fractures and crushed fingers." She explained as we walked back to the elevators to go back up to Carson's room.  
"What's the care plan?" I asked.  
"There's not much we can do except let his body heal. We can keep him here until you find a safe place for him to go. I can't in good conscience release him to the home you removed him from." She told me.  
"Keep him comfortable. I'll start looking for somewhere for him to stay." I nodded as we came to his door.  
"Miss. Lily?" Carson called out to me.  
"Yes, sweetheart?" I asked walking into the room to sit on the edge of his hospital bed.  
"Do I have to go back home again?" He asked me.  
His innocent eyes wide and glossy as he looked at me.  
"No. I'm going to find somewhere safe for you to heal." I told him.  
"Can't I stay with you?"  
"Oh, I don't know, sweetheart. I have to talk to my husband but I'll make sure you have a safe place." I promised him.  
He nodded and settled back into the pillow.  
"Will you stay until I fall asleep again?" He asked reaching for me.  
"Of course I will." I smiled and took his little hand.  
"You're really good with him." Malcolm's voice said quietly from the doorway a few hours after Carson had fallen asleep.  
"Hey." I whispered finally getting up.  
I walked over to him and he wrapped me in his arms.  
"He asked me to stay until he fell asleep then I didn't know how to leave him." I sighed as we walked with his arm around my waist down the hallway.  
"You'll be a wonderful mother." He smiled at me.  
"Have you thought about children?" I asked him taken aback slightly.  
"Not until I decided I wanted to marry you after my time with Watkins. I never once thought I'd be a father. I mean look at my own father. But you... you make me feel like I could be a good father. A real father. Like we could raise a family. Like we'd be different."  
"We will be. We will be different." I smiled at him.  
"He wants to stay with us you know..."  
"I wish things weren't so insane right now. It would be nice to give a safe place to a young boy." Malcolm looked over my shoulder down the hall towards Carson's room.  
"I'll find him a safe place. He needs some time to heal here anyway." I assured him.  
He nodded.  
"We need to talk about Eve." I sighed finally causing him to look sideways at me.  
I laid out Ainsley's information about Eve and her possible connection to the Girl in the Box as we sat at the same table in the cafeteria as I had with his sister just hours earlier.  
"What are we going to do?" He asked me looking despondent staring at the picture of Sophie Sanders.  
"Is that her? The girl you found?" I asked gently.  
He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and nodded.  
"We'll have to talk to her. Find out the truth about how they knew each other." I reached over and took his hand.  
"What are we waiting for?" He asked.  
"What about your case?" I asked.  
"We closed it before I came. The au pair was running from her abusive husband. The mommy blogger was never pregnant. The baby was Christine's with her husband."  
"Is that why you have the faint bruising on your face?" I teased.  
"Maybe. We need to go talk to Eve, Lily." He pleaded.  
"Alright. Let's go."  
I drove the ten miles from the children's hospital to Eve's apartment.  
"Lily! Malcolm! Come in." She smiled stepping aside to let us walk into her living room.  
"Eve. We need you to tell us about Sophie Sanders." I said after she sat down.  
Eve froze without looking at us.  
"How did you find out about her? Your sister..." She finally looked at Malcolm then me.  
"Ainsley worries..." I started.  
"She's my sister. Sophie Sanders is my sister." She blurted out.  
"We trusted you." Malcolm muttered before looking up at her.  
"You were at our engagement! Planned our engagement party! Was it all a ploy? To get close to us? Find out about Sophie?" Malcolm exclaimed.  
"Malcolm." I whispered his name.  
"It started out that way, yes, but after Lily invited me out to the bar that night and your ex attacked you." She looked at me.  
"When I stayed with you and Tally that night and you opened your home to me... I never had a friend like that. I never really had any friends. I need to know what happened to Sophie but I don't want to lose you two. I didn't know how to tell you. Part of me is scared to know that The Surgeon ended her life and hid her body God knows where... Tell me, Malcolm... Just tell me. Was Sophie the Girl in the Box?" Eve pleaded with him through tears.  
Malcolm looked cautiously at me and I nodded almost reluctantly.  
"I'm sorry, Eve. You're sister is dead."


	22. Scheherazade

"Hey, baby. How'd it go?" Malcolm asked when I walked back into the loft the afternoon before our debut at Endicott Estate.  
"Great. The judge denied Carson's parent's request for visitation so that's positive. He's blossoming with Ashlyn and Cameron. Dani and I met Ainsley and your mom for brunch before going to the boutique. How about you? Did you find anything?" I asked settling in next to him on the couch.  
"There's nothing in the case files or any of my father's personal records, notes, anything about where he left Sophie's body. How did you get them to let you move Carson to DC anyway?" He sighed.  
"He's in FBI protective custody. FBI is federal. We can place him anywhere we deem appropriate. Malcolm, we've been searching for Sophie for over a month. It's time for us to think about talking to Martin."  
"No, Lily. I'm not taking her to see him."  
"This is running all three of us into the ground, Malcolm. We have to do something." I sighed.  
"I know we do. We can't take her tonight anyway." He looked down.  
"Of course not. Your mother will actually kill us if we don't show up tonight." I sighed.  
"That's accurate." He nodded.  
"Come on. We need to get ready." I took his hand and led him up into the bedroom.  
An hour later Malcolm dressed in a high end black tuxedo with a black bowtie while I wore a navy blue floor length beaded flowy sheath dress with an empire waist, v-neck, cold shoulder cut out short sleeves and a mini train at the back hem. I styled my hair into a French Braid at the crown before twisting the remaining hair securing it into a Twisted Crown style.  
"You are stunning." Malcolm muttered wrapping his arms around me.  
"You clean up nice too." I teased as he kissed my neck.  
"If you keep that up we're going to be late." I sighed.  
"It'll be worth mother's wrath." He breathed running his palms along my waist.  
"It absolutely would be but we're the guests of honor. It's our debut we really can't be late, my love." I reminded him.  
"Dammit. Maybe we should elope and to hell with everyone else?" He asked.  
"Now you're trying to get me murdered by your mother." I teased playfully pulling away from him.  
"To be fair she has to find us to be able to kill us." He chuckled as he followed me down to the main hall.  
"You know Jessica. She'll find us."   
"She will..." He admitted.  
"Come on. The car's here."  
A young man stood out on the driveway as we arrived at the Endicott Estate. I was somewhat surprised that Nicolas wouldn't meet us himself. I'd never met the man personally but Jessica and he had be friendly even after Martin's arrest.  
"My name is Michael Flynn. I'll be introducing you both once we get inside." The young man told us after helping me out of the back of the car.  
"Wonderful." I mused as Malcolm laid his hand on my waist.  
We followed young Michael up the grand outdoor staircase, through the front door, and into a grand hallway.  
"I'll make the introduction, you'll both walk out onto the balcony, offer a smile, and descend the staircase to the right." He told us standing in front of a set of French doors.  
"How did I let her talk me into this?" Malcolm muttered after Michael turned away from us.  
"Your mother is very persuasive." I shook my head.  
"Oh. You mean stubborn?" He sighed.  
"At least we know where you get it from."  
"Ladies and gentlemen. Without further ado I'd like to introduce Mr. Endicott's guests of honor. Heiress Dr. Lilian Russell and her fiance Mr. Malcolm Bright." Michael announced and we followed his instructions to the letter as the crowd applauded.  
"I hate all this attention." Malcolm whispered after we'd greeted our fifth well wisher.  
"Me too. We'll stay for the performance and slip out the back." I told him gently.  
"Lily! Malcolm! I'm so glad you made it." Jessica exclaimed after finding us in the crowd.  
"You didn't give us much of a choice, mother." Malcolm sighed.  
"Malcolm..." I cautioned.  
"I know. I'm sorry. You know we hate this kind of thing."  
"It's important for the next generation of New York royalty to make their debut before their wedding." She smiled at us.  
"Nicholas is looking forward to officially meeting you both after the ballet performance. They're performing Scheherazade. Isn't that wonderful?" She gushed before rushing off.  
"What does that even mean?" I asked quietly.  
"Scheherazade is a one-act ballet based on the prologue of "The Thousand and One Nights" of which Scheherazade, the legendary Persian queen, is the storyteller."  
"Interesting." I muttered as Nicholas Endicott called the room together and introduced the dancers.  
I caught sight of Jessica standing almost directly across from us her eyes on Nicholas.  
He was roughly five foot ten with brown hair and eyes, impeccably dressed in a tuxedo nearly identical to Malcolm's.  
Reluctantly I watched the ballerinas' performance. As the male, Javier, lifted the female, Fiona, up over his head I noticed a slight shaking in his arm. Not the sign of someone who'd been practicing ballet his entire life.  
"Malcolm..." I whispered his name almost at the same time Javier exasperated blood into the crowd near Jessica before falling face down.  
"Malcolm." I said his name stronger and more authoritative.  
"Gather everyone in another room and call for paramedics and Major Crimes."  
Malcolm nodded and enlisted his mother's assistance in clearing the room as I rushed forward to Javier and pressed my middle and index finger into the pulse point on his throat. There wasn't a pulse. He was already gone.  
The paramedics arrived shortly after, confirmed that Javier had died and called for Edrisa.  
Gil arrived first and met me in the hallway just outside the ballroom.  
"What have we got?" He asked.  
"Ballet dancer collapsed in the middle of a performance, already pronounced dead. Edrisa's on her way." I answered.  
"You're a witness?"  
"Malcolm and Jessica are here too." I nodded.  
"Did you see anything out of the ordinary?"  
"No. If I'm being honest I was hardly paying attention. Jess decided that Malcolm and I needed to make our debut to the upper echelon of New York. We were planning to make our escape shortly after the performance." I admitted.  
"I have to admit I was surprised to find you here all dressed up. Doesn't really seem like your scene." Gil teased.  
"Have you tried saying no to Jessica Whitly? It leads to pestering and near constant phone calls until she gets what she wants." I chuckled.  
"Oh I believe that." He smiled wistfully.  
Edrisa arrived shortly after and lead us through her initial examination.  
Javier was obviously poisoned but there was no definitive way to tell what he was poisoned with until the toxicology report came back.  
"Is now a bad time to tell you you were right?" Malcolm asked as we made our way back home.  
"It's never a bad time to tell me I'm right." I smiled leaning back into his arms.  
"About what am I right this time?"  
"We should take Eve to talk to my father. It's the only thing we haven't tried to find Sophie." He sighed clearly still unconvinced that this was the right thing.  
"We'll both be there. She'll be fine." I assured him.  
"I hope you're right."  
The next morning we picked up Eve from her apartment and drove her out to Claremont.  
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" I asked after Mr. David laid out the ground rules for visiting Martin.  
"I have to find her, Lily. No matter what it takes."  
I nodded and looked at Mr. David giving him the okay to open the door.  
Malcolm walked through the door first followed by Eve then me so Malcolm and I could flank Eve.  
"Ah! A new friend? What a pleasant surprise." Martin exclaimed happily.  
I could feel Eve's apprehension beside me as she stared down the man who killed her sister.  
"Dr. Whitly, this is Eve Blanchard." Malcolm said as calmly as he could.  
Eve stepped forward silently, directly across the red line on the floor until she was face to face with Martin then smacked him across the face.  
Malcolm rushed forward and pulled her back over the red line.  
I leaned against the wall smirking as the situation unfolded.  
"The girl in the box that Malcolm found; her name was Sophie Sanders." Eve told him.  
"And how do you know that?" Martin seethed his eyes darting between the three of us.  
"She was my sister. Where is she?" She growled holding onto Malcolm's arm.  
Martin looked simultaneously speechless, taken aback, and concerned all at once.  
"I'm afraid I don't know." He admitted.  
I wasn't sure why but I believed him.  
"You were wrong this is a waste of time." Eve sighed exasperated.  
"Lily and Malcolm thought you'd tell me the truth but I knew better. You're not some self styled genius. It's all fake. Pretend. You're not a surgeon. You're not a father. You're not even a man. You are a void. A hole that consumes anyone unfortunate enough to meet you. Like your son. Like my sister." Eve egged him on.  
"I've told you all I can." Martin hissed.  
Eve glared at him before turning around and slamming her hand against the door signaling Mr. David that she wanted to leave.  
"Malcolm wait. You don't understand. You need to leave this alone." Martin attempted to caution his son.  
"I'm done. When you're ready to tell the truth, we'll be back." Malcolm sighed before looking at me and extending his hand to me.  
"You have to keep him away from this." Martin almost begged me as I took Malcolm's hand and followed him out of the room.  
"Malcolm!" Martin called out after us.  
"How'd I do?" Eve asked as we waited for the second door at the end of Martin's hallway to open.  
"You were... brilliant." Malcolm told her looking at me.  
"It's the first time in a long time that he looked rattled." I added as Malcolm wrapped his arm around my waist.  
"That's a good thing right?" She asked looking between us.   
"Malignant narcissists like my father thrive on supply." Malcolm explained.  
"Supply?" She asked.  
"They need to feel relevant. Needed, hated, loved, it doesn't matter. They need to be fed. We just cut him off. When he gets desperate enough, he'll give us what we want." Malcolm continued.  
"I hope you're right. I don't know if I can do that again." She looked at me.  
"You won't have to." I assured her.  
It wouldn't work twice anyway. There's no way he'd let her walk across that line and slap him again.  
"Do you believe him?" I asked Malcolm after we dropped Eve back off at her apartment.  
"No. Why? Do you?"  
"I'm not sure, honestly. Maybe." I answered with a sigh.  
"What do you want to do?" He asked me after a moment.  
"We'll let it play out. See what else he has to say." I answered with a sigh as I pulled up outside the morgue.  
"Come on. We've got an autopsy to attend."  
"Javier Suarez had high levels of both Warfarin and Heparin in his system. His doctor said he has been taking Cortisol shots for inflammation in his joints. I had the lab test the syringes in the sharps container in Javier's dressing room and they found traces of Warfarin and Heparin in one of the syringes." Edrisa was explaining when Malcolm and I walked into the morgue.  
"Well, that's the delivery method. Those drugs are blood thinners which would explain the massive bleeding." Malcolm mentioned.  
"High levels would cause internal bleeding until he exasperated the blood onto the crowd and fell to his death." I added nodding.  
"We have to go back to the theater. Our killer has to be someone with access to Javier and his Cortisol." Gil sighed.  
"Good luck. I have to meet with Special Agent Turner about Carson in an hour. I'll meet you after." I told my love as he walked me out to the car.  
"Hopefully it'll go as well as court this morning." He smiled at me.  
I kissed him and he ran off to Gil's car to meet Dani.  
I sat in my office mindlessly browsing through Save the Date styles which we were easily two months behind in sending out. Jessica would kill me if I decided to skip it.  
"Chief Russell? Ronald Turner to see you." My assistant Kathryn Watts said walking into the office.  
"Thank you, Kate." I nodded minimizing the window I'd been browsing.  
A tall African American man in a classic three piece suit walked in a moment later.  
"Special Agent Turner." I greeted him standing up and shaking his hand.  
"Chief Russell." He nodded.  
"Have a seat. Let's get started." I gestured to the chairs in front of my desk.  
"The Department of Children and Family Services has officially begun an investigation into Carson's treatment by Angela and Robert Martin. An FBI chief's testimony along with the medical records and pictures should be more than enough to have Carson permanently removed from his parents and placed. Do you know if Ashlyn and Cameron would be willing to adopt him?"  
"We haven't discussed it. He's certainly thriving with them. I can talk to them about it once the case against his parents is presented. I don't want to get their hopes up." I answered.  
"I'll be your direct contact to DCFS during this time. I've reviewed the case file and I can't imagine how they'd put Carson back with them. As soon as we get the official ruling I'll be the one to begin the adoption process." Ronald continued.  
"I agree. The sooner we get him stable the better." I answered leaning back in my chair.  
"At least we're in agreement. I'm going to start putting our own file together to back up DCFS." He told me standing up and reaching for my hand.  
I stood and shook his hand and saw him out before returning to my chair.  
I couldn't shake the feeling that I couldn't trust DCFS. Malcolm and I had watched The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez a few weeks prior to getting the call about Carson. New York and California were two different states but the lack of true concern for the abused transcended state lines.  
I refocused on the room around me as my phone rang.  
Malcolm <3  
"Hey baby. How's it going?" I answered with a sigh.  
"Slowly. You wouldn't believe these people. We found tights lined with straight pins, toe shoes stuffed with shards of glass, spiked oat milk, and capsaicin in contact solution." He explained.  
"Ouch." I shook my head.  
"Exactly. How was the meeting with Turner?"  
"Good. We're on the same page." I sighed.  
"What's wrong, Lil?" He asked.  
"I just don't know about DCFS. I just don't trust that they'll do the right thing."  
"We need to stay off Netflix." He chuckled.  
"That would probably help." I smiled.  
"Thank you for calling. I needed to hear your voice."  
"I love you, Lily."  
"I love you too sweetheart."  
"Gil's found something. I'll see you soon."  
"Bye, love."  
I'd barely sat my phone down on the desk when it rang again.  
Eve Blanchard  
"Hey." I answered.  
"Dr. Whitly just called me. He said he's ready to talk." She told me.  
"Malcolm's still at the theater working a case. When he wraps it up we'll come get you."  
"Okay. Do you believe that he doesn't know where she is?"  
"Honestly, I do. I'm not sure why. Just intuition I guess." I answered.  
"How can he not know where the body is?" She pushed.  
"I don't know. If Malcolm's right and they took her on the camping trip, he could have tossed her body in the river after John." I sighed.  
"Yeah, I guess... Will you text me when you're on your way?"  
"Sure. I'll see you in a bit."  
I hung up the phone and rested my head in my hands.  
After a couple hours of mindless work I texted Eve:  
Hey. Malcolm's still with Gil and the team. We'll have to talk to Martin tomorrow.  
It's only 6:30. She responded immediately.  
It's a psychiatric hospital. There are limits even for me. He'll be there in the morning. We'll go 1st thing. I promised.  
I drove myself home and got in the shower.  
Malcolm walked into the bedroom as I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.  
"My God, you're a sight for sore eyes." He muttered.  
"Rough ending?" I asked as we sat together on the bed.  
"We thought it was Endicott but it wasn't. When we went to interview him mom was there. Ended up being Ivan Castillo, a Puerto Rican dictator that Javier was running from." Malcolm explained taking my hand.  
"I just miss working side by side with you."  
"I miss you too. I know I've been busy with Carson and wedding stuff since we're behind in the planning." I teased nudging him.  
"My mother tell you that?" He chuckled.  
"Nah. Just every single check list she's sent me since our engagement." I laughed.  
"We'll be ready on time. Don't worry." He pulled me closer to him wrapping his arm around me.  
"We have to take Eve back to Martin in the morning." I threaded my fingers with his.  
"He called?"  
"Not me. He knows he can't manipulate me. He called Eve."  
"Of course he did." He sighed.  
"This is what we wanted. He's desperate enough to call her."  
"I know. I just don't know if I'm ready for what he's going to say." He admitted.  
"We'll get through it together." I squeezed his hand.  
"I love you." He kissed my temple.  
"I love you too."  
Malcolm and I walked hand in hand down the hallway towards Martin's cell once again as Mr. David glared at Eve, silently warning her against pulling another stunt like the last time.  
"Thank God you're here." Martin exclaimed as we walked into the room.  
"Are you ready to tell us the truth?" Malcolm asked calmly.  
"Yes. Yes. I've been... I've been trying to order my thoughts... memories so it makes sense." Martin stumbled over his words.  
"You've had long enough. Say what you're going to say about Sophie. I doubt you can do anymore damage than you've already done." Eve cut in.  
"I have to warn you, Eve. I can always do more damage."  
"Stop. You can't hurt me. What happened to Sophie?"  
"Fine. He's told you about our 'boys weekend away'. I was hoping for some bonding time but..."  
"Did you bring Sophie to the cabin?" Malcolm cut him off.  
"Yes." Martin answered.  
Malcolm and I exchanged a look.  
"But as you know, things didn't go as planned. Watkins attacked me, Malcolm stabbed him and I still had Sophie to take care of."  
"You mean murder." Eve hissed.  
"I mean, I had my hands full. Eventually, Malcolm fell asleep, and I managed to carve out some time for the two of us." Martin paused.  
"Keep going." Eve insisted.  
"She was in the celler. Tied up. Still, I like to enjoy a little chitchat. She claimed to know why she was there. That I'd been hired to kill her. She seemed genuinely surprised that I had no idea what she was talking about. She bargained with me. Told me about someone worse than me. It was quite a story, I must admit."  
"A story? What does that even mean? I just want to find her body." Eve sighed.  
"Tell us what you did with Sophie." Malcolm added.  
"Oh... I thought it was obvious. She convinced me to let her go. Your sister was very persuasive."  
"You're lying. If Sophie was alive I would know. She's my sister. She would have found me." Eve muttered.  
I wasn't so sure.  
"I gave you plenty of warning. It's not my fault she never reached out to you. That you've been chasing someone who doesn't want to be found. It's cruel. I know, but then the truth often is." Martin smirked.  
"I can't... I just can't..." Eve looked at us.  
She turned and knocked on the door.  
"Why?" Malcolm asked as Eve walked out of the room.  
"If that's the truth why deny Sophie's existence? Why the gaslighting? The chloroform?"  
"Trust me, Malcolm. I'm being a good father here. I'm protecting you by stopping you." Martin said with a small glance at me.  
Malcolm shook his head and walked out after Eve.  
"Lilian." Martin said my name as I started to follow Malcolm.  
"We should talk. Privately." He said causing me to look back at him.  
"You can protect him. Come back and see me."


	23. Out to Get You

"I have to find her, Lily. I have to know why she hasn't reach out to me. It's been twenty years." Eve told Malcolm and I as she sat in my car right after our last visit with Martin.  
"I'm not going to try to stop you, Eve. If I found out that Evan was somehow still alive no one could stop me from finding him. We buried a nearly unidentifiable body.. All I'm asking is that you be careful. You've become a good friend to all of us and you'd better be back for our wedding." I told her with a small smile.  
"I wouldn't miss it. Your love inspires me. I can only hope to have a love as strong as yours someday." She looked between me and Malcolm in the backseat.   
She leaned over and hugged me with tears in her eyes before climbing out of the car. She hugged Malcolm as he moved to climb into the front seat.  
"I'll be back as soon as I can. You guys will love her when I find her." She beamed through her pain.  
She rushed to the door before she could change her mind, turned around once she reached her front door and waved goodbye before disappearing inside.  
"Do you think she'll be okay?" He asked me before we pulled away.  
"Honestly, baby, I have no idea." I answered taking one last look at her apartment door.  
It took me almost a month of internal conflict to decide to visit Martin on my own. Walking down that hallway towards Martin's cell, my heart raced and my palms were sweaty. I didn't lie to Malcolm, I just left before he woke up. I just needed to know what Martin had to say.  
"Lilian. You came." Martin exclaimed almost relieved walking towards me to the end of his tether.  
I noticed immediately that he didn't mince words or throw any playful banter at me, which was unlike him. It concerned me.  
"What is going on, Martin?" I asked.  
I caught the back of the office chair he pushed over to me and he sat on the edge of his bed.  
"You're going to want to sit down for this." He explained motioning to the chair in my hands.  
Cautiously, I sat down and faced him.  
"Eve's sister, Sophie Sanders worked for Nicholas Endicott. She told me about all the things she did for him. 'You don't say no to Nicholas Endicott'." Martin began.  
"What kinds of things?" I asked thinking about all the dates Jessica told me about going on with Nicholas in the last month.  
"Murders. Stalking. Intimidation. The like. He has been using his money, his power, and his influence to force not only Sophie but everyone under his employ to commit these crimes for him for well over the twenty years I've been in here. Nicholas doesn't get his hands dirty."  
"This is how Sophie paid for her freedom?"  
"Yes. When I let her go I had her call Nicholas and tell him that she had stolen files that implicated him in some of the worst crimes he'd tasked her with and was forced to share those files with me after I'd abducted her. It worked. I got the deal of a lifetime when I was arrested. He has, as far as I know, stayed away from Sophie, from Eve, from Malcolm and Ainsley and you." He looked pointedly at me.  
"There weren't any files though, were there?"  
"No. And now that Eve's been looking for Sophie it's only a matter of time before he figures that out."  
"Why are you telling me all this now? Over twenty years later?"  
"I realized something looking at Jessica with Nicholas on page six a few weeks ago." He showed me a news article with a picture of Jessica and Nicholas from the night of the ballet dancer's murder.  
"And what is that?"  
"That YOU and my son are on page one. Nicholas Endicott's house. Nicholas Endicott's fundraiser. Nicholas Endicott's charity. Yet YOU are front page news. If there's anyone with the money, power, and influence to rival Nicholas Endicott, it's you."  
He closed the paper and handed it to me, a picture of Malcolm and I hand in hand on the balcony right after our debut staring up at me.  
New York's Premiere Princess Lilian Russell and new fiancè Malcolm Bright make their debut at Nicholas Endicott's Charity Fundraiser. The caption read.  
"If Nicholas links Eve asking all these questions about Sophie to you or Malcolm, or me, he will come after us. You need to get ahead of this. The sooner the better. You are the only one that can stop him and save our family." Martin pushed.  
"What is it you think can I do?" I asked looking up at him.  
"Get him on a federal crime. Conspiracy to commit serial murder? Something? He owns the NYPD, your little team not included. He owns the judicial system in New York." He explained.  
"I'd have to do an investigation. You know I can't just take your word." I shook my head.  
"Of course not. Just be careful, Lilian. If he finds out you're investigating him..."  
"I can handle myself." I cut him off.  
"I know you can. I know you don't believe this but I love my son. I love my family and you're part of that family now."  
"I never said I don't believe that. I think that you don't love him or anyone else as much as you love yourself. Where a typical parent would never put anything or anyone above their children, you always put yourself above him and Ainsley. I know that the things you did to him, the way you damaged him, don't show me you love him. I also know you don't want him to die. I'll find a way to nail Nicholas if what you're saying is true. I'll protect them."  
I stood up to leave.  
"And Lilian... I wouldn't tell Malcolm about this just yet. You are his weakness as much as you are his strength. If he thinks you are in danger he'll step right into the line of fire. There's a reason I asked to speak to you alone." He reminded me.  
I didn't respond to him. We both knew it was true. I just knocked on the door and left.  
"I need to meet with you as soon as possible. Face to face. You remember where." I left a message on the machine and drove myself to the FBI office.  
If Malcolm or Jessica or Ainsley were in danger because of Nicholas then I needed to put a stop to it.  
I parked my car in the parking garage and walked passed the front door to a small deli a block away. Nodded curtly at the cashier and walked into the back room. I opened the small closet door on the left hand side and laid my hand on the wall next to the light switch. A door opened up in the floor so I could descend into a long hallway. Once the door closed behind me the lights faded on revealing the sleek industrial design of the hallway. At the end of the hallway was a solid steel door that lead to a small bunker type meeting room.  
Inside sat a man roughly five foot ten and muscular with cold green eyes. His hair short and straight.  
"Aaron." I said his name as I walked into the room.  
Aaron Cross was an FBI special asset specializing in top secret service who answered directly to me after my unofficial promotion after I'd left Bryce.  
"Lilian Russell. Long time no see. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me. I heard about your promotion to Chief. Congratulations." He muttered.  
"I didn't call you here to talk about my achievements. I need someone I can trust with connections. I need everything you can find on Nicholas Endicott." I sighed.  
"Endicott's bad news, Lily. You really shouldn't get mixed up with him." He told me.  
"I'm afraid it might be too late for that. He might be coming after my family. I need you to find me a way to take him down before he can try."  
"There is no way to take down Endicott. Although... if anyone can do it, it'd be you." He muttered  
I knew if I waited for him to continue while he stared at me, eventually he would.  
"Alright, fine. I'll get you everything I have. I have to warn you, it isn't much." He conceded finally.  
"Thank you, Aaron."  
"I'll leave it in your office by the morning." He nodded.  
I stood up and walked back down the hallway back into the deli, ordered myself and Malcolm sandwiches and climbed back into my car to drive home.  
"Hey. I missed you this morning. When did you leave?" Malcolm called from the couch after I closed the door.  
"A little after six. I had some things to take care of for an FBI case." I answered walking over to sit next to him.  
"No case today?" I asked handing him his sandwich.  
"Not yet. The day's still young." He smirked at me.  
"Well, I'm glad I didn't miss anything." I smiled at him.  
We sat on the couch catching up on Ransom from the final season that aired the year before. We managed four episodes before Malcolm's phone rang.  
"Yeah, Gil." He answered.  
"Sure. We'll be right there." He continued after a moment.  
"We've got a case." He smiled at me.  
"Let's go."  
Less than a half hour later we pulled up to a tattoo parlor in the Bronx. The Rejects Tattoo.  
"This one's going to be fun." Malcolm said beaming before practically leaping out of my car.  
I smirked and shook my head before following him up to the front door. He's always the happiest when we're at a crime scene or working a case.  
"Hello Lily." Gil sighed as Malcolm wandered around the body and crime scene.  
"Whatcha got?" I asked following him into the tattoo parlor.  
"You know he doesn't even say hi anymore?" He frowned.  
"That surprises you?" I chuckled.  
There didn't seem to be any signs of a struggle. Aside from the dead body in the center of the room it looked as if nothing was disturbed.  
"A thirty seven year old male with a single stab wound into his left orbit." Edrisa told me as we walked up to the body.  
I looked down at the body where a tattooing needle stuck out of his left eye. His arms and neck were covered with tattoos and I was sure we'd find more on his torso at the autopsy. He was clearly either the owner or an employee of the shop.  
"He's not a small man. It would take a lot of strength to overpower him and shove a tattoo needle far enough into his eye to kill him." I observed.  
Malcolm looked at me sadly. I was taking over his profile.  
"Sorry, love. Go ahead."   
"Well, Lily is right but the killer was shorter than the victim based on the trajectory of the wound. The entrance of the wound is to the bottom interior of the left eye. I'd put their height at roughly five' six to five' seven and they're right handed."  
"What are your thoughts on the position of the body?" I asked not wanting to overstep again.  
He offered me a grateful smile.  
"It's odd. Almost ritualistic, maybe. I don't see any drag marks but an injury such as this wouldn't have bled much and he would have died instantly. He could have been killed and moved within moments and there wouldn't be any drag marks or blood stains."  
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. There was a text from an unknown number.  
I left the files in the spot. -A  
"Hey, Gil. I've got to go back to the FBI office to deal with an issue. Can Malcolm ride back to the station with you?" I asked putting my phone back in my pocket.  
"Of course." He answered offhandedly before returning his attention to Edrisa.  
"Is everything okay?" Malcolm asked walking over to me, touching my hips.  
"Yeah. It's probably nothing. Just some file issue. I'll be back before you know it." I smiled at him laying my hands on his chest.  
"Be careful, okay?" He pushed.  
"Of course I will. You be careful too." I kissed him gently and left.  
It wasn't exactly a lie but I needed to conduct my own investigation into Nicholas Endicott and his possible nefarious business practices before involving Malcolm or any of Major Crimes. Martin Whitly wasn't exactly a reliable source of information. Especially considering he'd decided to tell me about his suspicions after seeing his ex wife on page six with the supposed monster.  
I drove myself out to the FBI building and parked in the underground parking garage.  
It was nearly six pm and the garage was nearly empty. I climbed out of my car and walked briskly towards the elevator when a feeling of dread suddenly washed over me. A pair of rough hands grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me backwards tossing me towards a pillar to my right. As soon as my back hit the concrete a fist slammed into the left side of my face momentarily stunning me. A man pinned me to the pillar.  
I reached up and grabbed his shoulders jamming my knee into his balls then punched him in the face knocking him to the ground.  
As I tried to run around him he grabbed my ankle and I fell forward slamming my chin into the concrete. I rolled onto my back and kicked at him again. I felt my heel connect with his body but I had no idea where. I pushed myself up to my feet and ran towards the elevator. As I frantically hit the call button I looked back and noticed the man was gone. He wasn't following me. He wasn't anywhere.  
Once I got upstairs I reviewed the surveillance tape and found that the parking garage camera had been blacked out before I arrived.  
I sighed. If this was Nicholas, he was good. Maybe too good, even for me.  
I rushed back to my car and drove out to see Martin again.  
"Ah, Lily... What happened?" He asked taking in the bruising on my face.  
"How would Nicholas know that we talked about him earlier?" I asked pointedly.  
"Why would I call him to tell him that I told you about him? That's just as dangerous for me as it would be for you." He explained.  
"I'm not saying that you did but I was just attacked in the FBI parking garage." I sighed sitting back down on the chair he pushed towards me again.  
"Endicott does have eyes everywhere. Can you describe him? The man that attacked you?"  
"Of course I can. I'm an FBI chief. I am naturally hypervigilant."  
"Well... We haven't got all night."  
"God... He was at least six feet tall, muscular, gray eyes, light brown hair, pale skin. He had a large skull tattoo on the left side of his neck. He couldn't have been more than thirty. How does that help you?" I asked.  
"You got all of that from a thirty second attack?" He asked.  
"Of course I did. Malcolm and I have been trained to be able to make quick observations." I sighed.  
"Anyway, my patient's aren't solely the affluent. Some are more... nefarious." He looked at me sideways.  
"I thought perhaps I'd recognize the description, but alas..."  
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling noticing a small hole in the exact center of the room.  
"What's up above here?" I asked.  
"Nothing. I think the hospital uses it as a storage area. It was part of my deal. I don't like hearing the footsteps above me, you know." He said.  
I shook my head and knocked on the door.  
"Can you get me into the room above this one?" I asked Mr. David when he opened the door.  
"What are you thinking, Lily?" Martin asked but I ignored him.  
"Sure. Come on." He lead me up to the next floor.  
In the room directly above Martin's cell was a small brand new camera pointed into the hole I'd noticed downstairs. I walked into the room and picked it up. I knelt down and looked through the hole into Martin's cell. I carried the camera down to Martin's cell.  
"You found that upstairs? Is it Nicholas'?" He asked me.  
"I honestly have no idea. It's brand new though. Who ever placed this up there has to have constant access. A doctor, an orderly, a security guard or whatever. I'll have to run some tests." I sighed.  
"Do you have someone you trust to run those tests?"  
"I do." I answered before leaving again.  
"Good talk." Martin called after me.  
I called Aaron again and left yet another message asking him to come back to the underground bunker.  
"You look like shit." Aaron told me when he arrived in the bunker less than an hour later.  
"That's the cue for you to tell me that I should see the other guy." He continued after a long pause.  
"Aaron I need your help. I found this camera in the room directly above The Surgeon's cell. I need to know where the footage is being sent, how often, everything. Then I need you to check mine, Malcolm's and Ainsley's lofts, Gil's, JT's, Dani's, and Edrisa's homes, and Jessica's mansion. Discretely." I sighed.  
"Of course. I can almost guarantee that this is Endicott and that he is absolutely watching you and your team. You need to be careful, Lilian. Nicholas Endicott is dangerous." He warned me again.  
I nodded and he left with the camera. I sat in the chair staring out in front of me for what felt like an eternity.  
I couldn't continue keeping Malcolm or the rest of the team in the dark. It was well known that Malcolm and I were engaged and the Major Crimes Unit was part of our family.  
As I drove back to the FBI office I called Malcolm.  
"Hey, baby. How's it going?" He asked.  
"I need you and Major Crimes to meet me at the FBI office." I answered.  
"What's wrong?" His voice suddenly twinged with concern.  
"I can't talk about it on the phone. Meet me." I insisted.  
"Of course. We'll be right over."  
"Roll silent." I warned.  
"I love you, Lilian." He told me.  
"I love you, Malcolm. So much." I hung up with a sigh.  
We didn't need to draw Nicholas' attention with the lights and sirens. The longer I could keep Malcolm and the team under his radar the better.  
I arrived back at the empty FBI office around ten that night. As I walked up the stairs to my office I had this intense feeling of apprehension churning in my stomach.  
Sitting in the dim moonlight in my office chair was a slender woman likely no more than five foot seven with piercing brown eyes and dark brown hair streaked with grey. She looked to be roughly forty five.  
"You must be Dr. Lilian Russell." She said coldly.  
"And you must be Sophie Sanders." I replied meeting her gaze and shutting my office door behind me.


	24. The Devil You Know

"Where is my sister?" She asked me standing up and laying her hands on my desk.  
"Last time I saw Eve she told my fiancè and I that she was leaving New York to find you." I answered.  
"When was that?" She asked harshly.  
"Almost a month ago I guess. The twenty fourth of April."  
"And you haven't seen her since?"  
"No. I haven't heard from her since I dropped her off at her apartment that afternoon. After talking to Martin Whitly."  
"You took her to talk to The Surgeon?" She snapped glaring at me.  
"I couldn't exactly stop her. She is quite persistent." I responded harshly stepping forward towards my desk.  
"She found me. A little more than two weeks ago. Stayed with me in Connecticut for four days. She talked information about Endicott out of me effortlessly. Told me she was coming back to New York to get you to come talk to me so you could take him down. She has a lot of faith in you, Doctor. Nicholas Endicott isn't going to be easy to take down, even for an FBI chief." She finally softened looking down seeming to see my own love and care for her sister in my eyes.  
"Perhaps that's true but I'm not about to lay down and let him continue to send people to kill me and my family." I responded with a sigh.  
"You're braver than I ever was. I ran the moment I had a chance. Eve was adopted. I didn't even think he knew she existed. I thought if I stayed away that she'd be safe but..."  
"She needed to know what happened to you. She loves you, Sophie." I told her gently.  
"I should have reached out years ago. What if something happened to her?" She looked up at me again her eyes glossy with emotion.  
"I'll help you find her. She's a good friend, but it'll have to wait, my fiancè and my team are on their way here right now." I explained.  
"I can't be here." She looked around the room frantically.  
"I know. Come with me." I motioned for her to follow me.   
I lead her down my long hallway away from my office passed a private conference room to a back staircase.  
"Go down one floor and wait in the conference room for me." I insisted.  
"Why are you helping me?" She turned to look at me.  
"As I said, Eve has become a very good friend to my fiancè and I. She even planned our engagement party. Nicholas already sent someone after me once. He's not going to stop coming for us until I stop him. I'll need all the help I can get but Malcolm isn't ready to see you yet."  
"Malcolm..?"  
"Lily!" Malcolm called for me cutting her off.  
"Go. Now." I ushered her into the stairwell and closed the door before rushing back towards my office.  
"Lily? Where are you?"  
"Malcolm?" I called back walking briskly back down the hallway.  
"Are you okay? What happened?" He asked rushing over and touching my face.  
"A man attacked me in the parking garage. I need everyone to take out their phones and leave them in here on the conference table before following me into my office." I told everyone motioning them into the conference room.  
There were no arguments. It wasn't often I asked them to do something a little crazy. I closed the door and lead my team back down to my office.  
Once everyone had found a place to sit in the office I closed the door and took my place in my office chair.  
"Even here in the FBI office this is the only place completely impenetrable to any kinds of listening devices simply because of the jammers installed in the walls. It's also soundproof so I can have private meetings with assets and they feel safe to divulge all of their information without being burned." I began cautiously to an array of confused faces.  
"This morning I went to visit your father." I told Malcolm whose mouth dropped open in shock.  
"He requested a private meeting nearly a month ago and I finally decided I needed to hear what he had to say."  
"You lied to me?" Malcolm asked shattering my heart.  
"I left out information until I could verify the story he told me. Your father has not been known for his honesty." I sighed trying to put on my Chief of the FBI face.  
"What did he tell you?" Gil asked.  
"The reason he supposedly released Sophie Sanders was that she had information on..."  
"He told us that with Eve weeks ago." Malcolm cut me off.  
"I get that you're angry and you have every right to be but right now I am chief of the FBI and you are a consultant for the NYPD so you will hear what I have to say. Our lives may depend on it." I snapped.  
"Martin said that Sophie worked for Nicholas Endicott. She told him that Nicholas would use his power and influence to force his employees to commit crimes for him. Anything from stalking to murder."  
"And you believed him?" Malcolm asked rudely.  
"I will only say it once more. This is an official informational meeting. We will deal with us at home when this is done." I glared at him.  
"I did not trust him at his word, no. I called upon a trusted asset I've used since I left Bryce nearly a year and a half ago. They were able to get me files on Endicott's criminal empire."  
"That's the text you got at the crime scene?" Gil asked to which I nodded.  
"When I got here I was attacked in the parking garage. I checked the cameras afterwards but they'd blacked out the screen before I arrived. I went back to Claremont and found a camera in the ceiling of Martin's cell."  
"Where's the camera?" Dani asked curiously.  
"I took it to my asset to run a full scan on it. I've come to believe that Nicholas does have eyes and ears in the NYPD." I answered.  
"You think he owns the NYPD?" Gil asked.  
"I think that money talks. It doesn't take but one detective or officer to divulge information from a precinct to put someone's life in danger. I also believe he has friends in the upper echelon of the department." I answered.  
"Who's the asset?" Malcolm asked still glaring at me.  
It wasn't often I broke his trust but if Nicholas came for him because I didn't see him coming that would be worse. We could get through this.  
"You know I can't tell you that." I sighed.  
"You really believe that Nicholas Endicott is behind all of this? The man dating my mother? All because my father said so?"  
I noticed Gil flinch slightly at the mention of Nicholas and Jessica.  
"No. If you were listening to me instead of being bitter that I chose to wait to tell you what I was doing, you'd know exactly why I believe he's behind this. You explain to me how talking to your father about Nicholas then beginning an underground investigation before being attacked in my own parking garage is a coincidence. And while you're at it explain the hidden camera in your father's cell that Mr. David knew nothing about." I looked up at him.  
"If he's bold enough to send someone to kill me, a Chief FBI agent, in the FBI's parking garage it's only a matter of time before he comes after all of us, and Jessica and Ainsley and anyone else connected to us that could be a threat to him."  
Gil, JT, and Dani nodded but Malcolm still looked unsure.  
"Why did he tell you and not me?" I could hear the pain in his voice.  
"Because as the sole living member of the Russell family I have the money, power, and influence to rival Nicholas Endicott." I answered.  
"I have to go over these files. Gil, I'll call you in to discuss what I find. Will you take Malcolm to his loft?" I asked my eyes meeting Malcolm's.  
"I trust you all can see yourselves out."  
"Lily..." Malcolm started after everyone else had left.  
"Stop. You want to be angry, fine. You can do it in your own home. You don't want to believe me, fine. Mine will be the next funeral you attend." I snapped.  
I got up and walked over to the door motioning him out without another word and slammed the door behind him leaning against it.  
I needed to keep him out of harm's way while I continued investigating Nicholas and helped Sophie find Eve. It ripped my heart out to hear him walk away from my door.  
I waited a full ten minutes to ensure they all had left before setting out to find Sophie.  
She was pacing back and forth in the conference room I'd directed her to.  
"You're going to wear a hole in my floor." I sighed.  
"Sorry." She looked over at me.  
"You look upset." She noted.  
"You met me barely an hour ago." I shook my head.  
"I'm vigilant." She smirked.  
"I argued with my fiancè." I admitted.  
"Malcolm. Why wouldn't he be ready to see me?"  
"He's The Surgeon's son." I answered.  
"The boy in the basement." She mused.  
"Everyone told him for twenty years that you didn't exist. That he made you up. Martin used chloroform on him every time he stumbled on something he shouldn't. He's not ready to have all those memories flooding back. Certainly not after how he reacted to what I had to say about Nicholas."  
"That's a horrible thing to do to anyone, let alone his own child." She looked sad.  
"Come on. I have some files to look through on Nicholas."  
I lead her back up into my office. I laid my hand flat on the mouse pad causing a drawer to open to the right of my keyboard. Inside were easily over a hundred and fifty very small files with a small sticky note on the top.  
Each one of these are an accident, suicide or murder file where either the victim or a suspect was employed by Nicholas Endicott. -A  
With the files being as small as they were it was clear without even opening them that there was no real resolution to any of these cases.  
"How long did you work for Nicholas?" I asked Sophie almost mechanically, pressing the 'fuck you' button on an incoming call from Malcolm.  
"Just over three years. I met Nicholas in Virginia in September of ninety five as he was beginning his 'credit card' company. He moved me to Maryland the next year to open a new location, and finally New York in early ninety eight. I was still here in November of ninety eight when I was taken by Whitly." She said.  
"Now, I need you to answer me honestly. What did you do for him?" I asked.  
"The list is extensive and I'm not proud of any of it." She sighed.  
"I understand but I need to know exactly what I'm up against especially if I'm going to be fighting alone."  
"You're not alone. I'm sure Malcolm's going to come around." She paused glancing at my phone.  
"At first it was small stuff. Almost like P.I shit. Follow this guy and see what he's up to. Follow her and tell me what she does. Then it graduated to full fledged stalking. Learn their movements, their routine. By the end of my first year I was Nicholas' first choice to intimidate his enemies. Mostly just standing outside their office or letting them know I was following them. I'm not very big but my 'resting bitch face' is second to none. It wasn't long before he tasked me with the murder of Scott Allen, accident on his yacht off the coast of Virginia, body never found. In my three years with Nicholas I killed six people. You don't say no to Nicholas Endicott." She sighed.  
Six murders in two years by a single employee. The depth of his depravity might not be discoverable.  
"Are you going to put me in prison?" She asked and I realized I'd been silent for a long while.  
"No. I don't think so. We need to find Eve before I make any decisions. That's the most important thing right now." I sighed returning the top file to my secret drawer.  
"Come on. Let's go see if she made it back to her apartment."  
I led her out to my car in the parking garage and we drove out to Eve's apartment building. Sophie sat in my passenger seat staring up at the building.  
"Are you ready?" I asked gently.  
She nodded almost absently.  
We climbed out of my car and walked up into the building taking the elevator up to the third floor and over to her apartment. I knocked first then used the key she'd given me.  
The apartment was spotless which was a little odd but she did know she was leaving town. There wasn't any obvious signs of a struggle.  
My phone started vibrating with another call from Malcolm which I ignored again.  
"Lilian!" Sophie called from the bedroom.  
I rushed into the room and found her holding a brown purse.  
"This is the purse she took with her when she left." She told me handing it to me.  
Inside was all of Eve's credit cards and her identification along with her cellphone. There was also her beige long coat lying on the bed.  
"This proves she was here." Sophie said looking at me.  
"There's no sign of a struggle. If she was taken from here then they were lying in wait for her. Could have ambushed her right here. Used a weapon to force her to walk out of the apartment on her own." I mused pulling her phone out of the purse.  
It was locked but she'd given me the code as a precaution before our first trip to see Martin.  
3183  
There were roughly a dozen missed calls from Sophie starting two days before she came to find me. I opened up her text messages and found one dated May twelfth at nine fifteen pm from a number I knew was associated to Endicott Corp.  
I know you've been asking questions about your sister. Meet me and I'll tell you everything you could ever want to know.  
How do I know I can trust you? Eve's reply read.  
You don't.  
"Where?"  
"Franklin Park. One hour. Come alone. Don't call Lilian. Leave the phone."  
There wasn't another message either to or from Eve in connection to that number.  
"It looks like they lured her out with these messages." I told Sophie showing her the messages.  
"We have to get out to Franklin Park." She urged.  
"We need to be careful. It's not out of the realm of possibility that they took her to draw either you or I out." I explained.  
"If she's still alive we need to find her!" She insisted.  
"I'm not saying we're not going. We are. I'm just saying follow my lead. We're no good to Eve or anyone else dead."  
Sophie reluctantly agreed. We pulled up outside Franklin Park less than a half an hour later.  
"Where would he have met her?" She asked me as we sat in my vehicle.  
"Somewhere isolated. Those messages were nearly two weeks ago. My guess is they abducted her from here. I've come to know Eve as a fighter. Even after ten pm there is a decent amount of foot traffic in this park. Come on. I need to see more."  
I climbed out of my car and 'fuck you'd' yet another call from Malcolm.  
We walked around the park from the parking lot systematically through the fields and trees.  
I found more areas that showed signs of a struggle than I could have imagined.  
I focused on isolated areas with minimal signs of struggle as we walked around the lake in the center of the park. This was an abduction. Not a rape or assault. I would guess they used chloroform or some other type of sedative to control her and move her.  
"What are we looking for?" She asked me.  
"Anything that could tell us exactly where she was taken from. I'm actually disgusted with New York right now." I sighed.  
Something in the dirt caught my eye. A small pearl earring with dots of blood on the back. Likely ripped right out of the ear.  
"That's Eve's. I gave her a pair of our mother's earrings before she left." Sophie said when I showed it to her.  
It was honestly a bad sign but I couldn't tell Sophie that. It wasn't significant evidence that she was already dead and I didn't want her jumping to conclusions yet.  
"Come on. I need to find some traffic camera footage or something to give us a timeline." I told her and she followed me back to my car.  
I drove her out to the bunker near the FBI station.  
In a smaller room off the main hallway was a sophisticated computer system that was fully encrypted and impenetrable.  
"Are you sure this is safe?" Sophie asked as we walked in.  
"Of course. The Director and the President are family friends. They gave me this when I left my abusive ex as a precaution." I answered.  
I hacked easily into the traffic cameras directly across from the park and was able to find Eve driving into the parking lot at just after ten ten on the twelfth then roughly fifty minutes later her car drove out of the parking lot but the driver clearly wasn't Eve. I followed the car to the Hudson River bridge where the camera was blacked out similarly to the one in my parking garage.  
"We have to go out there!" Sophie exclaimed.  
"Sophie... I need you to hear me right now. If she was dropped off that bridge into the Hudson, she's not alive anymore." I told her.  
"You don't know that." She insisted.  
"It's been two weeks, Sophie."  
"I've heard of crazier things. Lilian, please."  
Reluctantly I drove us out to the river. We started walking the rocks above the banks.  
I saw her first as I stood on the rocks above the Hudson River's east bank. The body of a blonde woman was washed up on the banks. She was wearing a dirty grey pantsuit and her hair was matted by the current. My heart ripped out of my chest when I heard Sophie take in a sharp breath before freezing and standing silently next to me for what felt like an eternity. Suddenly, she moved to try and climb down to her sister's body.  
"Sophie. Sophie! Stop. You can't touch her." I said my voice strangled grabbing ahold of her arm.  
"Why the hell not?" She spun around and screamed in my face.  
"You know why, Sophie. You know why." I told her gently and she collapsed into my arms and we fell down to our knees.  
"This is my fault. This is my fault." She sobbed.  
"No, Sophie. This is Nicholas' fault."  
I held her as she cried into my shoulder.  
"I'll testify. I'll do whatever it takes to put him away. Lily, please." She told me looking up at me her eyes glossy with tears.  
"What I need you to do right now is go back to Connecticut and wait for my call."  
"Lily..."  
"Trust me. You've been able to hide there for over twenty years. I need you to go back until I'm ready to confront him. I need you safe. You are the entire case against him right now." I helped her stand back up.  
"Okay. Okay. Find who did this. Endicott ordered it but someone carried it out. Find them, Lily, please."  
She took one look back at her sister's body and walked away from me.  
I pulled out my phone and called 9-1-1.  
"New York 9-1-1. What's your emergency?"  
"This is Chief Dr. Lilian Russell and I need to report a body on the banks of the Hudson. I need a crime scene unit and coroner to the East Bank of the Hudson." I answered with a sigh a single tear falling from my eye as I looked down at Eve's lifeless body still lying on the rocks beneath me.


	25. The Professionals

I sat in Gil's office waiting for Malcolm and the rest of Major Crimes to arrive early the next morning.  
Anyone who asked me would be surprised to know that my favorite memory of Eve Blanchard wasn't our engagement party but actually a week before.  
Eve and I were sitting at my dining room table talking about my wedding colors so she could plan the decor for the engagement party when my doorbell rang.  
"I'll be right back." I told her getting up expecting the delivery of the save the dates I'd ordered the weekend before.  
Instead Dani was standing on my doorstep, tears streaming down her face.  
"What's wrong?" I asked reaching out for her.  
She stepped forward into my arms burying her face in my neck.  
"I just caught Jared cheating on me." She told me.  
"Come inside. Come on." I pulled on her gently leading her into the living room.  
"What's going on?" Eve asked from the doorway, her face colored with concern.  
"How could he do this to me?" Dani muttered sitting on the couch.  
"Dani, you are a force. You are a strong, intelligent, independent, beautiful woman who deserves better than that. You deserve someone who values the woman you are and is faithful to you." I told her gently sitting down next to her.  
"This calls for a girls night in!" Eve said walking forward.  
"What?" Dani asked.  
"I have a 'break up/ girls night' playlist qued up. We'll order pizza and I'm sure Lily has ice cream. We'll watch the real horror movie she promised me and get wasted. The best cure for a broken heart is some quality girl time." She explained.  
"Where's Malcolm?" Dani asked me.  
"He's at his loft cleaning his weapon wall." I answered.  
"He does that often?" She asked.  
"Roughly every three months or so." I shrugged.  
"Cleaning, polishing, and sharpening. It's an all night thing now."  
Both Eve and Dani chuckled.  
"Okay, okay. I'm in." Dani sighed.  
"Yes!" Eve exclaimed starting her playlist with 'Take a Bow' by Rihanna.  
We ordered three large pizzas and I opened up my liquor cabinet.  
A couple hours later we were dancing around the living room to music so loud it shook the entire loft.  
"Hey! I have a crazy idea." Eve said as we lounged on the couch before putting on the movie.  
"What?" Dani giggled.  
"We should dress up and take pics for Instagram." She beamed.  
"Why?" Dani asked looking at her.  
"For one, I always feel better when I get all dressed up and we've gotta show this douchebag what he gave up."  
"My closet is your closet." I smirked.  
We made our way up to the bedroom and into my walk-in closet.  
Eve picked out a pale blue knee length beaded semi sweetheart dress. Dani chose an above the knee satin dark blue off the shoulder dress. I decided on a red midi dress with halter strap neckline.  
Eve and I worked together to straighten Dani's hair before giving her soft waves and a classy smokey eye with pale pink lip. Dani worked on Eve's silver shimmer eye make up and bright red lip while I pulled half of her hair up into a classic half updo. They worked together to give my hair a windblown wave and applied dark winged eyeliner and dark pink lip.  
We went out into the backyard to take pictures before returning to my living room to continue drinking and put on The Conjuring.  
We lounged together watching the movie eating small pints of ice cream.  
Suddenly, the image of Eve's pale blue, waterlogged face as they wheeled her body passed me crashed through the memory and assaulted my mind causing a pounding headache. Rogue tears streamed down my face.  
"Lily!" Malcolm called out my name as he walked into the office.  
I stood up and he hugged me as if we hadn't argued just over twenty four hours before. That was what made our relationship so strong. We might argue, sometimes explosively, but we always made it back to one another. We were soulmates.  
"What happened?"  
"I was following a lead from an asset that lead me to the banks and I found a body. Eve's body." I told him and he held me tighter.  
It wasn't a lie. With Sophie agreeing to testify against Nicholas Endicott she was now an FBI asset and I knew that Nicholas had ears within the department. I didn't need him knowing I'd been in contact with Sophie.  
"I'm so sorry, Lily. We're going to find out who did this."  
"I know." I nodded and leaned into his chest.  
"Edrisa's preforming the autopsy downstairs." Gil said walking into his office followed by Dani and JT.  
"The uni's are saying it was a suicide." Dani told us looking down at her shoes.  
I shook my head.  
"No. I need everyone in my office at the FBI office in an hour. Bring Edrisa." I sighed.  
"What happened?" Dani asked me quietly.  
"I'll explain everything in my office later, Dani, I promise."  
"We need to go talk to Jess." I turned to Malcolm.  
He nodded and we drove out to her home.  
"I know that you worry about Malcolm, his mental state, and his relationship but you have to take time to grieve this loss too." I heard a man's voice as we walked into the house.  
"Mom." Malcolm said as we walked into the living room.  
Jessica looked up and rushed to her son as a man stood up behind her. A man I recognized.  
Nicholas Endicott.  
"And you are?" He asked looking at me.  
It was clear he knew exactly who I was.  
"Lilian Russell. I'm Malcolm's fiancèe." I answered emphasizing my last name searching for his reaction.  
This was my family. Not his.   
"I should be going." He told Jessica looking at me cautiously.  
Damn right you should. I thought.  
"This is a time for family."  
He kissed Jessica and walked out of the room with another brief appraising glance at me. I repressed the urge to shiver in disgust. I wasn't even sure I'd got Malcolm on board with Nicholas being this criminal mastermind let alone his mother.  
"Her office just called and told me what happened. A suicide? How could this have happened? She didn't seem depressed." Jessica reached over and hugged me.  
It immediately concerned me that they were already spouting the suicide line without an official Cause of Death from the coroner.  
"Jess, Eve was murdered." I told her gently.  
"Are you sure?" She asked holding me at arms length by the shoulders looking between me and Malcolm who nodded.  
Even Malcolm couldn't brush off her death as a coincidence.  
"When we took her to see Martin he admitted that he'd let her sister go after she gave him information on someone worse than him." I continued.  
"Well, we need to go see him. We need to find out who killed her." Jessica told us.  
"He's not going to tell us." Malcolm sighed looking at me.  
"Never bet against your mother, darling." She said.  
"I've already talked to him." I told her.  
"What?" She paused.  
Malcolm raised an eyebrow at me. It was clear he didn't realize that we were informing his mother. If she was in danger she needed to know everything we did. Well, most everything.  
"I went to see Martin early in the morning a couple days ago. He told me what the information was and who it was about. I started my own investigation into it and was subsequently attacked in my office's parking garage." I answered.  
"What did he tell you?" She asked her eyes traveling over the bruises on my face.  
"Sophie Sanders was an employee of Nicholas Endicott in the mid to late nineties. She did a lot of dirty jobs for him in the three years she worked for him. Intimidation, stalking and various other crimes all the way up to murder."  
"No. He's just jealous that I'm with Nicholas now." Jess stuttered clearly flustered.  
"I thought that at first too. I asked a trusted asset for every single criminal and incident file linked to Nicholas or his corporation. There are well over a hundred and fifty files where either the victim or a suspect was an employee of Nicholas'." I explained.  
"I didn't believe Lily at first either. We argued in front of the team... Mom, Lily's the best investigator there is. If she says this is the truth than I believe her." Malcolm told her.  
"It was on my way to look through the files that I was attacked. I checked the camera but it was blacked out either by my attacker or an accomplice before I even arrived. I went back to Claremont to confront Martin and ended up finding a camera in the room directly above his cell sending constant video to someone, somewhere. I have my asset looking into it."  
"I need to hear all this from him." She looked at me.  
I could see in her eyes that she knew I was right but she just didn't want to believe it.  
I drove my fiancè and future mother in law out to the psychiatric hospital.  
When we walked into Martin's cell Ainsley was already there holding a file.  
"Why are you here? What is this?" Malcolm asked looking between his sister and his father.  
"Isn't it obvious? It's a family reunion." Martin exclaimed happily.  
"Eddie you should get us some snacks. Maybe the lime jello?" He smiled at his new orderly.  
"Mr. David's been out sick. Eddie has a bit of a hearing problem. He has the worst case of Cauliflower Ear I've ever seen. Don't make a big deal out of it if he comes back with lemon or something." Martin muttered an explanation with a shrug.  
"I found some information on the Girl in the Box." Ainsley sighed shaking her head.  
"What is it?" Jessica asked her anxiously.  
"Sophie Sanders worked for Nicholas Endicott. I came here to find out what dad knows about it." She said.  
Jessica sighed loudly.  
"You told them already?" Martin asked.  
"Yes." I answered curtly.  
"You probably should have waited."  
"Until when, Martin? Until I destroyed my relationship with Malcolm? Until Nicholas succeeds in killing me? He sent someone to attack me. Eve's dead. Enough is enough."  
"We're going to stop him." Malcolm told him touching my shoulder in an attempt to calm me.  
"Malcolm you can't do that. I forbid it."  
"He sent someone to attack my fiancèe, kill our friend. She's not fighting alone anymore." He shot back at his father before knocking on the door and leading me out.  
"Malcolm Whitly I am still your father!" Martin called out after us as we walked down the hallway.  
"What is our next step?" Malcolm asked once we walked outside.  
"We meet with the team in my office. Find out what Edrisa found at Eve's autopsy. Then make a plan as a team as to what to do." I answered and he nodded.  
Ainsley agreed to take Jessica home so Malcolm and I could head out to the office.  
The team was already waiting for us when we arrived. I closed the door behind us and closed the blinds so we could have privacy.  
"What have you got, Edrisa?" I asked sitting with Malcolm in my chair.  
"Eve definitely drowned but it wasn't a suicide. I sent the diatoms from her bone marrow to the lab and had them compared to the diatoms from the Hudson and they don't match meaning she was drowned in a different body of water and then her body was dumped in the Hudson." She explained.  
I nodded thoughtfully as my phone vibrated with a message.  
You won't believe what I found. Meet me. -A The message read.  
"I have to meet my asset. Hopefully they'll be able to give us something more to go on. JT can you take Malcolm to check out Eve's apartment? See if she might have been abducted from there? Dani, can you take Edrisa to take a sample from the lake at Frederick Park?" I asked.  
They both nodded.  
"Franklin Park?" Gil asked.  
"My asset tracked Eve's car from her apartment to Franklin Park and then the Hudson River Bridge. That's how I found her body." I answered.  
"Can you guys give us a minute?" Malcolm asked looking at me.  
After the team got up and left he turned to look at me.  
"Baby. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm sorry about how I acted." He sighed taking my hands in his.  
"I know, love. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I went to see Martin in the beginning. I was trying to be cautious because I knew it was a possibility that he was lying. I wanted to be sure before I involved you or Major Crimes. I can see why that wasn't the right call."  
"I understand why you made it. We're okay, right?" He asked.  
"Of course we are. We've gotten through a lot worse than this in our lifelong relationship." I reminded him.  
He smiled and kissed me. His kiss always felt like home.  
"Be careful." He pressed his forehead against mine.  
"You too. Don't underestimate his reach." I cautioned kissing him again and we left the office hand in hand before going our separate ways.  
Aaron was sitting in the bunker when I arrived.  
"We have so much to talk about." He smirked at me.  
"What have you found?" I asked sitting down across from him with a sigh.  
"You were right. There were cameras in all of the homes you asked me to check as well as Eve Blanchard's apartment that I have since removed. I heard you found her body last night and put it together that she was a friend of yours. Every single camera sent the footage to the same IP address at Endicott Corporation. I traced it to the computer in Endicott's office. He's been personally watching you and your family and friends for months." He explained.  
"How do we prove it legally?" I asked.  
"I don't worry about the legality of it. That's a you thing." He smirked at me standing up.  
I sighed and nodded.  
"Be careful, Lilian. I can't stress that enough. Endicott isn't someone to be underestimated." He looked back at me from the doorway.  
"This'll probably be the most important fight of your entire career. We've been trying to get Endicott for years."  
I watched Aaron leave and dropped my head into my hands. How far did Nicholas' corruption go? How was I going to get enough evidence legally to put him away? Who could we trust? I had no idea.  
I met Dani, JT and Malcolm back in my office.  
"Where's Gil?" I asked.  
"He said he wanted to check on Jessica." Dani said.  
"Probably a good idea. We can't be too careful right now." I nodded.  
"What did your asset find?" JT asked.  
"They found cameras in all of our homes with feeds being sent directly to Endicott. He also found cameras in Eve's apartment." I sighed.  
"We found holes in Eve's ceiling too." Malcolm told us.  
"Are you saying he's watching all of us?" Dani asked.  
"He was. My asset removed the cameras he found." I answered.  
"Why can't we nail this guy?" JT asked.  
"Well, the obvious problem is that my asset's information is inadmissible in court because we didn't have a warrant to hack Nicholas' IP but also because his influence extends into the hierarchy of the NYPD. It's next to impossible to legally link him to any of this." I sighed.  
"I pulled Eve's apartment building's camera footage. Maybe we'll find something there?" Dani asked.  
"Que it up." I nodded.  
As we watched the video I noticed a man coming into the apartment building at all hours of the day and night. Always ducking into the building by catching the door after someone with a key card.  
"Who is that?" I asked pointing him out the fourth time I saw him.  
"He's pretty well covered up." Dani muttered.  
"That's it. Lily, he's covering his ears." Malcolm exclaimed.  
"Why would he do that?" JT asked.  
"Because his ears can identify him." I nodded at Malcolm.  
"Eddie. Dr. Whitly's new orderly." Malcolm nodded back.  
"Your father." I exclaimed shaking my head suddenly looking up at Malcolm.  
"What?" He asked.  
"Your father is the one that told me everything about Nicholas. He's the next one on their hit list. He placed Eddie in Claremont to get easy access to Martin." I told him.  
The four of us rushed out of my office and I drove us out to Claremont.  
"I need the key to Dr. Whitly's cell." I told Eric, another orderly on Martin's wing as Malcolm, Dani, and JT raced down the hallway towards Martin's cell.  
"Lily!" Malcolm's voice sounded panicked as I took the keys and broke into a run towards the door fiddling with the keys in my hand.  
"Dad! No!" He called as I ran up behind him.  
Inside the cell Eddie was attempting to strangle Martin with a wire. At the sound of his son calling out to him Martin's eyes shot open and he struck out slamming Eddie into the wall as I continued to struggle to find the right key to open the door.  
Martin turned around and knocked him to the floor before straddling him and leaning down.  
"This is for my son." He hissed before driving his thumbs into Eddie's eyes and ripping them out of his head.  
"No!" Malcolm exclaimed beside me.  
I finally got the door open, Dani and JT rushed in pulling Martin off Eddie. Dani placed him in handcuffs while JT cuffed Eddie.  
"You are under arrest for the murder of Eve Blanchard."  
"JT? You good?" Dani asked while Malcolm and I watched from the doorway.  
"This is JT? Now I've met the whole team. Hi. I'm Martin. It's a good thing you got here when you did. I was being viciously attacked." Martin said smiling at Malcolm and I.  
"I have to make a call." I sighed and walked out of the cell shaking my head.  
Once I was outside I called the number Sophie gave me and wandered into the alley next to the hospital.  
"Leave your message for Sarah Murphy at the tone." Sophie's voice message said.  
It didn't surprise me that she'd changed her name after her run in with The Surgeon. It was the easiest way to ward off Nicholas.  
"Hey. It's me. If you're there pick up." I sighed.  
"Lily?" She said my name picking up the phone.  
"Hey. We got him." I told her.  
"He's been arrested?"  
"Yes. He attacked Martin. He doesn't have eyes anymore but he's under arrest."  
"Good. He should have known better than to go after Whitly."  
"If Nicholas ordered it he may not have had a choice." I reminded her gently.  
"I know." She sighed painfully.  
I felt the cold steel of a blade against my throat and drew in a sharp breath.  
"Lily? What's happened? Are you okay?" Sophie asked anxiously.  
"I'm going to have to call you back." I muttered and lowered the phone without ending the call.  
An obviously male hand wrapped in my hair and tossed me into the hospital wall.  
I barely saw Bryce's face before he struck me in the face bouncing my head off the dumpster to my left and the world went black.


	26. Like Father...

I came to feeling rough hands caressing my chest. I attempted to pull away, knowing they weren't Malcolm's hands but found I was unable. Heavy metal chains held my wrists to metal chair arms at my sides. I tried to move my feet but couldn't.  
"Don't touch me." I muttered.  
One of the hands reached out and grabbed my throat forcing me to look up at him.  
"Do you have any idea what I could do to you right now? You can't fight me while we have Malcolm in our sights." Bryce spat his name at me his angry eyes boring into mine.  
"I should just kill him anyway..." He lowered his face to just inches from mine.  
His hand continued caressing my chest causing me to shiver with disgust and he tightened his grip around my throat.  
I barely heard the gunshot before I was covered in his blood. I looked down at Bryce's lifeless body lying on the floor with an obvious gunshot wound to the side of his head. I turned my head to see Nicholas Endicott standing in the doorway holding a gun in his hand, smoke still rising from the barrel.  
"Hello, Lilian. Now that we're alone the fun can begin." He said.  
"I do apologize, Dr. Russell. I must admit I'm not normally one to get my hands dirty but you... you are just so damn special." Nicholas told me replacing the pistol in it's holster on his hip and walking towards me.  
"What do you mean 'special'?" I asked.  
"First, you should know that right this minute, poor Malcolm is walking into his apartment to find your blood soaking the bed and spattered on the walls as Major Crimes responds to a report of terrified screams coming from the apartment." He smirked at me.  
"My blood?" I shook my head in confusion.  
A medical grade IV in my arm caught my eye.  
"You're framing him for my murder?"  
"A pint of blood is hardly enough to prove murder. Although..." He trailed off.  
He lashed out with a knife stabbing me straight through the top of my left shoulder.  
"Can't have blood with no wound, can we?" He asked twisting the knife in my shoulder.  
I hissed in pain but refused to scream out.  
"You think you're so strong." Nicholas hissed at me as he ripped the blade back out.  
"I'm stronger than you. Malcolm is too."  
"I wonder how strong he'll be if he believes you're gone? What about when they finally find your body?" He smiled at me.  
"What do you mean she's not out here?" Dani asked Malcolm with a sigh after the ambulance took Eddie away.  
JT swept the parking lot finding Lily's car in the same spot she'd parked it in when they pulled up earlier.  
"Her car's still here." He told them walking back to where they stood.  
"Something's wrong, Dani. I can feel it. She wouldn't just walk off and leave us here. What are you doing?" Malcolm rambled as she pulled out her phone.  
There was distant ringing down a side alley. Malcolm rushed down to where the phone lay next to a dumpster. Visible blood dripped from the lip of the dumpster caught his eye.  
"Dani! JT!" He called their names, fear strangling his voice.  
"I need CSU in the alley outside Claremont Psychiatric Hospital and send Lieutenant Gil Arroyo to the same location." JT said into his cellphone as Dani tried to calm Malcolm.  
If it was Lily's blood he would be their only hope of finding her alive.  
"If you're going to kill me you could at least tell me the truth. Tell me what you've done." I insisted watching him run his knife over three syringes on the tray to my left.  
"It's a thirty year long story. We should probably get started. I have a dinner date with your mother in law this evening." He chuckled twirling the knife in his hand.  
He dragged the blade across my chest along the base of my throat creating a long shallow cut.  
"It started in my late twenties. It was easy to start my own business with Endicott as my last name. I'm not ashamed to say I made my fortune off of the inheritance I was left from my parents who died in a car accident when I was eighteen." He drove the knife into my left bicep just deep enough to slit the muscle fibers as he dragged it down towards my elbow.  
"They were my first. It was easy. Puncture the brake line and just wait until they failed. It was ruled an accident in the early eighties. Nearly no investigation at all, can you believe that? Roughly ten years later I employed five different people who were insanely loyal. They did anything and everything I asked."  
"Threats and intimidation will do that. You don't say no to Nicholas Endicott." I hissed repeating what both Martin and Sophie told me and he stabbed into me again just under the very first stab wound.  
It was obvious his goal wasn't to kill me with the knife. He had another plan for my actual murder.  
"It's better to be feared than respected." He shrugged jamming the blade into my side just below my ribcage.  
It took everything I had not to give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream in pain.  
"That's just one of the many areas where we differ." I spat at him.  
"Can't account for taste." He shot at me running the knife along my jawline.  
"How many have you killed?" I asked able to feel the blood running down my neck and chin.  
"I've only personally killed three people. My parents, Bryce... Oh, and soon you so that'd be four, but no one will ever find out about any of that, will they? I've ordered well over five hundred murders in nearly thirty years in over ten of the eastern states." He admitted smirking at me twirling the knife between his fingers.  
"My life's best achievement by far, however, was sending my friend Bryce here to abduct Esme Pritchard from Colorado." He kicked Bryce's body beside him.  
"He brought her here to me and we decided that burning her alive would be the most shocking way to kill her. I let Bryce have his fun with her first, of course. We made her write that letter and sent it to the FBI office in your name from Colorado before dumping her body. It took us longer to track down Owen Woods since he was never charged but we did, and on time too. Owning the state's DNA lab is much more lucrative than my attorney thought it would be, and his murder was just as sweet. Following your parents to Cairo was incredibly simple for Bryce. They still favored him over you and the look on their faces when they came to much like this added a level of excitement for him. You made getting to your dear brother Evan very difficult. I never intended for Agent Rowland to be a casualty. However, all's fair in love and war." He rambled on laying the knife down and picking up the first syringe.  
"Why? Why go through all this to get to me?" I asked.  
"It was clear in the beginning that Malcolm is Martin Whitly's golden child and it didn't take long to realize that you, my dear, are the most important person to young Malcolm. The best way to destroy him is to destroy you. Speaking of..."  
He pulled the cap off the syringe in his hand.  
"This is the first of a very specific blend of substances used by Dr. Whitly during his fifteen year reign of terror. It seems only fitting that his son would soon choose to kill you the same way his father killed his victims." He explained.  
"No one will believe he hurt me." I hissed.  
"Maybe. Maybe not. The evidence will be overwhelming, however. I'll make sure of that." He reached forward and inserted the needle into my IV.  
"This first step is designed to render the victim almost completely paralyzed. You'll begin to feel your body go numb almost immediately but you'll still be very aware of your surroundings and what's going to happen next."  
"Why Eve?" I asked trying to keep my voice calm while my mind was frantic, he was right.  
It started in my fingertips and toes and radiated as the numbness took over my whole body.  
"Oh, well that's easy. I can't have anyone asking questions about my former employees. Let alone her young sister. Eve came back to New York to find you, to help you ruin me. I certainly couldn't have that now, could I?" He asked looking at me picking up the second of three syringes.  
My mind continued to race and I found I wasn't able to speak anymore. Martin Whitly was known for experimenting with his victims, hence the stabbings Nicholas was subjecting me to.  
Vanessa Lange was The Surgeon's first known victim. She was seemingly tortured with a knife before being murdered by a unique drug cocktail that slowly shut down the nervous system followed by the respiratory system leading to a slow, painful death.  
"This one is going to light your nerves on fire. I can't imagine the joy The Surgeon got from watching his victims ache to scream out in pain and not being able to." He chuckled injecting the second drug into my IV.  
It didn't even take a second for the pain to rip from the IV site in my arm through my entire body. I couldn't move to try to negate my pain. I couldn't scream. All I could do was feel it.  
"I guess even the great Lilian Russell has a breaking point." He feigned sorrow wiping a single tear from my face as my body continued to scream out.  
"Now, as fun as this has been. I have been itching to brag about my empire, you know. This final concoction is going to slowly shut down your respiratory system." He said picking up the final syringe.  
"Without further ado..." He inserted the needle into the IV bag, injecting the concoction into the saline as opposed to directly into my vein.  
"It'll take between forty five minutes and an hour to empty into your system and slowly shut down your respiratory system. It'll be excruciating I'm sure. Too bad I can't stay to watch. I have to make my dinner date after all." He smirked opening the IV.  
The liquid began it's decent into my veins.  
"I'd love to say it's been a pleasure, Dr. Russell but that'd be a lie."  
He left me alone in the room with Bryce's body closing the door behind him. I managed to slightly move my arm fighting against the mixtures of drugs working in my system but the chain around my wrist was so tight I wasn't able to maneuver my wrist to try to dislodge the IV from my arm. I was only able to watch the fluid enter my vein as I struggled weakly and helplessly against my bindings. At first there was only a minimal burning sensation similar to frostbite in my lungs as I realized that I wasn't able to take deep enough breaths. Shortly thereafter, it was getting even harder to breathe. My chest tightened and my lungs screamed for oxygen I couldn't give them. I managed to look up and noticed that the IV bag was roughly half empty. I was beginning to lose consciousness. All I could think about was how I didn't know how to make sure that Malcolm wasn't charged in my murder.  
Suddenly, I felt a small hand on my shoulder but I couldn't force open my eyes anymore.  
"Lily? Shit!" A familiar voice exclaimed from somewhere in front of me.  
"Sophie?" I forced myself to mutter her name weakly.  
She ripped the IV out of my arm. I felt pressure in my chest. My eyes shot open as I gasped. It all happened at once. The numbness disappeared, the pain ceased, and I could breathe.  
Sophie knelt in front of me her eyes wide with concern, a large syringe sticking out of the center of my chest. She waited cautiously as I took several deep gasping breaths.  
"What happened? What did you give me?" I asked finally looking at her.  
"It was the antidote mixed with a small dose of adrenaline. Endicott's used that concoction before as a 'training exercise'. Your Malcolm found me in Connecticut. I had doubled back after you sent me home and killed the man who killed my sister after Dr. Whitly put him in the hospital. He told me he'd figured it out but that he couldn't turn me in. It was the least of his worries. You were missing and he only hoped he was right in believing I could find you before it was too late. I knew it had to be Nicholas. I don't much believe in coincidence, certainly not when it comes to him." She explained removing the chains from my wrists.  
"We have to find him. Now." I urged trying to stand up.  
"We will. Lily, you have to let me bandage your wounds or any little movement could cause you to bleed out." She insisted laying her hand on my right shoulder pushing me gently back into the chair.  
Reluctantly, I agreed. She wrapped the knife wounds and various other cuts with gauze before she helped me stand up and half carried me out to her car.  
I stopped her briefly to ask for her phone which she pulled from her pocket before I allowed her to help me sit in her passenger seat.  
"Powell?" Dani's voice answered; I could hear sirens in the background.  
"Dani, it's me." I told her.  
"Lily? Oh my God! You're alive?" Dani exclaimed as I sat in Sophie's car while she drove me back into the city.  
"Is Malcolm with you?" I asked my head still kind of hazy.  
"No. We left him at the hospital with his mom." She told me.  
"The hospital? What hospital? Why?" I asked my head spinning again.  
"New York General. Lily, Gil was stabbed trying to get Jessica from Endicott's house roughly an hour ago. Jessica fought back. Struck Endicott in the head with a porcelain serving dish, drove Gil's car into Endicott's car and brought Gil into the ER." She explained.  
"Gil was stabbed? I'm on my way there now."  
"JT and I got a warrant for Endicott's arrest. We're on our way to his place to pick him up now."  
"Be careful Dani. Don't underestimate him." I sighed and hung up.  
"I need you to take me to New York General Hospital." I told Sophie rubbing my forehead anxiously.  
"Okay. What's going on?"  
"Gil must have challenged Nicholas over Jessica. He's been stabbed. Probably in surgery now." I sighed.  
"I have no idea who Gil and Jessica are." She mused making me laugh.  
"Gil was the patrolman who arrested Martin Whitly twenty one years ago. Jessica is Malcolm's mother." I explained still smiling slightly.  
I could see myself being friends with Sophie should we all survive the next few hours.  
"And they're an item?"  
"They had a thing a few years after the arrest but she ended it. It's not outside the realm of possibility that they rekindled it." I shrugged causing me to wince.  
"Be careful of those shoulder wounds." She warned me as we pulled up outside the hospital.  
"Can you wait for me? I have a bad feeling about all this." I asked looking over at her.  
"Of course. Be careful, Lily." She told me.  
I climbed out of the car and rushed into the hospital.  
"Dr. Russell? Are you alright?" A blond nurse asked me anxiously running around the front desk.  
"Gil Arroyo? He was brought in less than an hour ago?" I asked ignoring her question.  
"Lily?" Jessica's voice came from behind me.  
"Jessica." I sighed turning around.  
"My God! Are you alright? Gil said..." She rushed forward to hug me likely concerned by my blood soaked clothing.  
I winced as I tried to return her hug.  
"What's wrong? What happened?" She asked looking at me.  
"It's a very long story. I'll be okay. Where's Malcolm?" I asked.  
"I don't know. Dani and JT left to arrest Nicholas and I went to get coffee for Malcolm and I while we waited for news on Gil. Oh, Lily. It was horrible." She shook her head.  
"He's going to be alright, Jess. He's strong, he'll make it." I assured her.  
"When I got back with the coffee Malcolm was gone. I don't know where he went."  
"Okay. Okay. I'll find him." I told her touching her shoulder and pulling out Sophie's cellphone again.  
"Blackwell?" Ashlyn answered her phone, her voice annoyed.  
"It's me." I said as strongly as I could.  
"Lily?" She exclaimed, her voice suddenly anxious.  
"I'm okay, Ash. I need you to track Malcolm's phone for me." I told her.  
"Of course. Give me just a minute." She said clearly still shaken after news of my abduction.  
"Stay here and wait for news on Gil. I'm going to find Malcolm. Everything's going to be okay, Jess." I told her while still waiting for Ashlyn.  
I rushed back out to the parking lot where Sophie waited for me.  
"He's at the Whitly estate." Ashlyn told me.  
"Thank you, Ash. I'll call you back when I can." I hung up and turned to Sophie.  
"Gil's like a second father to Malcolm. For him to decide to leave while he's still in surgery means something has to be very wrong. There has to be a good reason for him to leave." I told her before directing her to Jessica's.  
The phone vibrated with a text message.  
The last message Malcolm's phone received was from his sister, Ainsley and it read: "Come home now. 9-1-1." Ashlyn's text read.  
I sighed.  
"What? What is it?" Sophie asked.  
"After Jessica saved Gil from Nicholas he must have gone back to Jessica's after her and found Malcolm's sister Ainsley there. She texted him that he needed to come home." I explained.  
"Nicholas thinks you're dead. He'll throw that at Malcolm and Ainsley to try to break them." She told me.  
"Step on it. I'll get you out of any ticket they try to give you." I instructed.  
She sped through the streets towards the home she'd once been held in to save the children of a serial killer who had every intention of killing her over twenty one years ago.  
"Do you have a gun?" I asked as we rounded the corner onto Jessica's street.  
"In the glovebox." She told me.  
I pulled the pistol and flipped the safety as she pulled up outside Number Three.  
"I can help." She told me as I hopped out of the car.  
"There are tunnels under the house that Martin used to get victims in and out of the basement." I told her.  
I directed her to the entrance of the tunnel in an old water plant a couple miles away and she took off.  
I rushed up the stairs and breached the home nearly silently with the pistol out in front of me.  
"No you won't. The system is mine." Nicholas yelled at Malcolm taking a step forward towards him.  
"You couldn't even save your..."  
Ainsley grabbed ahold of Nicholas' hair from behind and slit his throat from ear to ear literally cutting him off. He turned around and stared at her aghast as he bled profusely. She just stared at him as if in a trance.  
Ainsley screamed angrily and began furiously stabbing Nicholas in the torso. I ran over to Malcolm with Sophie's pistol gripped tightly in my hand. He stood across the room from the violence his sister was perpetrating in shock. He reached out and grabbed my waist protectively pulling me back against him gently as if by instinct unable to see my wounds or the blood covering my torso.  
Nicholas was dead before his body hit the ground from at least six stab wounds and the gash across his throat.  
Ainsley stood across the room from Malcolm and I covered in blood with the knife still in her hand her face emotionless. I raised the pistol slightly waiting to see what she was going to do.  
I loved Ainsley as if she were my own sister but if she rushed us with that knife I'd have no choice but to shoot her.  
Sophie rushed in from the tunnels with another gun in her hand. She raised it up towards Ainsley.  
"Sophie, don't!" I called out raising my right arm to her the gun in my hand pointed towards the ceiling in a nonthreatening manner.  
Sophie stopped and looked at me.  
At the sound of my voice, as if coming out of her trance Ainsley dropped the knife and looked at her brother over my shoulder.  
"What did you do?" Malcolm choked out his grip tightening on my waist.  
"What just happened?" Ainsley whispered.  
"Malcolm? Lily?" She said our names when we didn't immediately answer her.  
"It'll be okay." Malcolm told his sister in a small desperate voice.  
I heard Malcolm's phone ring.  
"Hello?" He answered.  
I couldn't hear the other end of the conversation but by the tremor that shook the hand still on my hip I knew it was his father.  
"And she took yours." He said, his voice shaking.  
Malcolm hung up and the four of us stood nearly motionless staring at one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED...
> 
> See you for Season 2!


End file.
